Trail of Beauty: Experience nature’s splendor with a journey along the Susquehanna River Water Trail.

May 31, 2017 | by Susan Ryder

Most people experience the beauty of the Susquehanna River from afar, from the banks or as a blur from their cars.

However, you need not be satisfied with a sideline vista. From Sunbury to Middletown, you easily can travel on the river along the Susquehanna River Water Trail.

Formed in 2000, the 54-mile-trail, with 25 islands containing primitive campsites, is maintained by the Susquehanna River Trail Association (SRTA). Confusing to some, a water trail is no different from a foot trail except that, instead of hiking boots for trekking, one needs a boat.

“It’s a really nice juxtaposition of civilization and nature—an accessible wilderness,” said Brook Lenker, an SRTA founder.

Lenker began his journey to creating the trail while pursuing a master’s degree at Towson University and writing a paper about a proposed hydroelectric dam along the Susquehanna in Harrisburg. In an effort to understand the river better for this project, he contacted Pat Riley, a local river guru.

“He put me in a solo canoe, said ‘follow me,’ and changed my life,” Lenker said.
The trip opened his eyes to the special nature of the Susquehanna and set him on serendipitous course.

In 1993, while working for Dauphin County Parks and Recreation, Lenker visited Hog Island, part of the Maine Island Trail, America’s first water trail. As he witnessed the public’s access to the islands and camping along the water trail, he thought, “It would be cool to do something like that in Harrisburg on the river.”

Over the next seven years, with help from the state government, local outfitters and the conservation community, SRTA was founded.

Today, the trail represents a cooperative effort between SRTA, the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and the National Park Service.

Its mission: “To facilitate the use of the river to encourage stewardship.”

Much to See

SRTA members take stewardship seriously, acting as caretakers of the islands.

The volunteer position of steward involves surveying the islands regularly, maintaining the campsites and reporting any problems to the association board. Work may involve tasks as simple as cleaning up trash or as labor-intensive as hauling cement by canoe to repair a fire ring. The 12 or so stewards work hard so that visitors can fully enjoy the river.

River attractions include a wide variety of birds, including great blue herons, egrets and cormorants. Boaters can see these birds up close in their natural habitat as they nest or stalk along the bank fishing. Bald eagles are often spotted, so frequently that boaters are almost guaranteed a sighting, Lenker said. Non-feathered animals include mink, beaver, deer and, occasionally, bear.

“There’s so much to see that you can’t see from the road,” said Mike Traxler, SRTA president.

Boaters can pull up on an island for exploring or paddle to a rock, unload and bask in the sunshine. Morning and evening paddles offer stunning views, with the sunlight skipping across the water as it rises or sinks below the horizon.

Always Changing

Before heading out into all this watery beauty, there are a few things that boaters should consider.

First of all—be safe. Traxler recommends that novices journey with an experienced guide or someone familiar with the river. Outfitters like Susquehanna Outfitters on City Island, Shank’s Mare Outfitters and Blue Mountain Outfitters can provide guides and boats.

Low-head dams pose a serious risk, and two exist in the middle section of the Susquehanna—in Sunbury and Harrisburg. Boaters should portage, which is river speak for taking a boat out of the water and going around the dams. They may look innocuous, but the vortex they create makes them deadly. Dams are clearly marked with caution buoys.

Planning is also important.

“The mistake a lot of new paddlers make is trying to go too far,” said Traxler

Low water or a headwind will make the trip longer, and a good rule of thumb is one mile in one hour. If the water level is too low, the trip could be a real drag, literally. If the water level is too high, conditions are dangerous. Under five feet is considered safe. Check water levels at SRTA’s website.

Paddling represents one aspect of the trail, camping another.

Lenker said that its camping focus makes it unique. Each island has clear DCNR markings to let folks know it holds a campsite. Sites contain a fire ring, a clearing for tents and a log-in box. The box has a logbook and lots of good information for visitors.

Based on the Appalachian Trail logbooks, they allow campers to offer feedback about the site, record wildlife sightings and even pontificate on the river experience.

“Life is like a river; keep paddling!” said one visitor who left her name as Ruth Ann.

Another wrote, “It’s another awesome summer day. One can’t describe a peaceful moon on the river!” Yet another contained the superimposed, drawn handprints of Cheyenne, age 21 months, and Douglas, age 3 years.

Venturing out on the Susquehanna River Water Trail will afford a different experience for each person, depending on the time of year, weather and happenstance. Even for folks like Traxler who frequent the river, each time is fresh.

“Every time I’m out, I experience something new, something I’ve never experienced before,” he said. “It’s always changing.”

For more information about the Susquehanna River Water Trail and the Susquehanna River Trail Association, visit www.susquehannarivertrail.org.

Author: Susan Ryder

Making Connections: The Art Association’s new curator strives to link old and new, large and small.

May 31, 2017 | by Kari Larsen

Burg in Focus: Art Association of Harrisburg from GK Visual on Vimeo.

Rachel O’Connor started big—very big.

When she succeeded Terrie Hosey as the curator of the Art Association of Harrisburg in January, the first show she hung was the mammoth annual membership show, the perennially popular “Figuratively Speaking”—51 pieces depicting the figure in all manner of media, filling the historic building’s myriad rooms and halls.

“I’m a very cautious person,” said O’Connor. “But at the same time, there’s something inside of myself that’s like, no, jump into the deep end without any floaties.”

She seized the opportunity to work in Harrisburg while wrapping up graduate work at the Savannah College of Art and Design in January 2016.

“I was in the last semester of my second year,” she said. “I didn’t see it coming. The art world is really hard to get into, so I thought—this is my foot getting in the door.”

This first step into the world of art was, literally, like coming home.

O’Connor attended Cumberland Valley High School and already had studied with HACC and Messiah College professors. She even got to work in the art mecca of New York City, when, as an intern, she co-curated a show at the New York Center for Art and Media Studies.

With all of this experience, the year she spent as assistant curator at the Art Association provided O’Connor with plenty of opportunities to contemplate.

“What does it mean to be a curator in a small institution, in a smaller city?” she said. “How do I shift my thinking from what it always was when I was in school—‘I want to be a curator in New York City!’—which means something so different than being a curator in Harrisburg. I started to realize that there are some differences, but there also don’t have to be a lot of differences. Curating is still curating.”

For O’Connor, curating is collaborative. When it comes to placing a work within a particular context, she takes the vision of the artist into account. Part of that context also is the location of the Art Association—in Harrisburg.

“My job as the curator is to think about our audience,” she said. “Harrisburg is our audience. Whether or not Harrisburg as a city is coming in and viewing our work, it doesn’t matter. They are still our audience. So, I have to think, ‘What artist can I bring in? How can I display things in such a way where I’m caring about the city and the people who live in the city?’”

Recent collaborations with Metropolis Collective and the Makespace have brought in crowds different from those that usually visit Art Association shows, and O’Connor wants to keep cultivating those shifts.

“We’re part of the art community, but we have not been speaking to the art community,” she said.

In O’Connor, Harrisburg’s art community has a sharp-eyed, big-hearted ally.

“I really love working with living artists,” she said. “And I realized that—this sounds funny—but I actually love other artists’ work more than I love my own, and I love artists maybe even a little bit more than, or equally as much as, I love art. What can I do where I can have relationships with them and work with them and care about them?”

That is exactly what she is doing.

At the Art Association, O’Connor is particularly interested in bringing in fresh talent. As an example, from the end of February through March, the show “Impulse: Then & Now” featured five artists who studied with her in New York: Joel Daniel Phillips, Christine Aria Hostetler, Chelsea Tarnas, Heidi Wiren Bartlett and Kate Running. Tarnas and Running’s work, in particular, complemented the tension between the homey, 19th-century space of the Art Association and the clean, vivid and contemporary quality of the artwork on exhibit.

It was a clear indication not only of what O’Connor can stir up and inspire working in Harrisburg but what happens when she makes connections.

“I want to speak to the art community and say, ‘We’re all in this together. I’m with you and the Art Association is with you, and I want to work with you,’” she said.

The Art Association of Harrisburg is located at 21 N. Front St., Harrisburg. The current exhibit, “89th Annual Juried Show,” runs through June 15. For more information, visit www.artassocofhbg.com.

Author: Kari Larsen

Cuisine on Screen: Creative documentary explores the life of a celebrity chef.

May 31, 2017 | by Sammi Leigh Melville

With producing credits for films such as “The Mind of a Chef” and “A Cook’s Tour” under her belt, you would think that Director Lydia Tenaglia would know everyone of importance in the food industry.

But there is one chef who somehow managed to weasel his way out of her frame of knowledge—Jeremiah Tower, the chef said to have jumpstarted the very idea of food as an experience. This mystery man was the perfect subject for Tenaglia’s next project.

“There were just so many layers to this person,” she said. “Food really was almost in the background.”

And so began the year-and-a-half-long journey into the mind of “Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent.”

“[Tower’s] need to be in the public eye, but his desperate need to be left alone—it’s an interesting dichotomy,” Tenaglia said.

Many who know the man have described him as a private person—hard to read and hard to get to know—and the film relates that character.

“I have to stay away from human beings because somehow I am not one,” he states early in the film.

And perhaps he really does feel that way. From his childhood, when he escaped his parents’ “moneyed neglect” by surrounding himself with refined eatery, to the dramatically charged role he played at the restaurant, Chez Parisse, we watch the slow progression as his circle of acquaintances begin to regard him as something more than human—a culinary god, if you will—born with a silver fork in his hand.

“Before I read books, I read menus,” he muses.

And he has the ego to match his supernatural guise.

After drama stirred between Tower and the staff at Chez Parisse, he moved on to create his own masterpiece—the theatrically inclined restaurant, Stars, where eating out became about more than just food, but about entertainment. Derived completely from Tower’s fantasy and orchestrated to reflect the safe haven he created as a child, Stars was truly the place where his god status was cultivated and cemented. Then, abruptly, Jeremiah Tower disappeared from the public eye.

Stylistically, the film is a dream. Tower’s life is shown through four dynamic threads, weaved together to create Tenaglia’s masterpiece.

First, there is the footage of Tower in his hideaway home in Merida, Mexico, walking by the ocean and inspecting old buildings to purchase and rebuild, and then there are the dramatizations. Initially, due to a lack of archival pictures, Tenaglia shot a series of scenes recreating Tower’s memories, actually structured to feel like memories.

“To really get a sense of Jeremiah’s character, what he was literally and figuratively able to bring to the table, you had to viscerally, visually understand his formative memories as a child, good and bad,” said Tenaglia.

The result is a rare, beautiful and ethereal cinematic landscape interlacing these expressive, visually articulated dramatizations throughout the story, thereby foregoing the “follow-doc” feel of a typical documentary and allowing the scenes to breathe.

It wasn’t until two-thirds through editing that Tower unearthed some old 8-mm films while cleaning out his mother’s basement, and the entire visual paradigm of the film shifted. Suddenly, the question was how to marry archival information with memory-driven recreation. Again, the result called forth a dream-like quality that is sure to captivate audiences.

This leads to the fourth thread—the unexpected finale, which takes place in 2015 when Tower makes a comeback by moving to New York to add his artistic touch to the barely afloat restaurant, Tavern on the Green. Suddenly, the film becomes a follow-doc—a tantalizing question of whether Tower can make the comeback he deserves, or if that dream even still needs to be realized.

“[We have] an opportunity to see Jeremiah roll up his sleeves and work the way he’s always done,” said Tenaglia.

This is a shining moment, when you can see both Jeremiah’s incredible strength and profound flaws on display, his ego struggling for complete control in a job that doesn’t allow for it. But here we see the true Jeremiah Tower. As Tenaglia puts it, he is simply “an artist who is seeking, even from early on, some means of expression. The kitchen was just his canvas.”

You can see the result of Tenaglia’s finesse, and a more complete rendering of Jeremiah Tower than this review could possibly include, at Midtown Cinema starting June 2. Don’t miss this incredible documentary.

Special thanks to Lydia Tenaglia for agreeing to an interview.

MIDTOWN CINEMA JUNE SPECIAL EVENTS

Superhero Summer Series
“Batman” (1989)
Friday, June 2, 8 p.m.
Saturday, June 3, 2 p.m.

“X-Men” (2000)
Saturday, June 3, 7 p.m.
Sunday, June 4, 2 p.m.

Down in Front! Presents

“Howard the Duck” (1986)
Saturday, June 3, 9:30 p.m.

National Theatre Live Presents

“Rosencratz & Guildenstern Are Dead”
Monday, June 10, 7 p.m.

3rd in the Burg $3 Movie

“Deadpool” (2016) Friday, June 16, 9:30 p.m.

Faulkner Honda Family Film Series
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (1990)
Saturday, June 17, 2 p.m.
Saturday, June 17, 8 p.m.
Sunday, June 18, 12 p.m.

Outdoor Film Series
“Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” (1988)
Friday, June 9

“Superman” (1978)
Friday, June 23

Down in Front! Presents: “I Was a Teenage Werewolf” (1957)
Friday, July 14

“Jaws” (1975)
Friday, July 28

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (2011)
Friday, August 11

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015)
Friday, August 25

All outdoor films start at dusk, with a rain date of the following day.

Author: Sammi Leigh Melville

Ripple Effect: Through our actions, we can spur growth and progress.

May 31, 2017 | by Jaime Novinger-Toigo

What if we were all constantly aware of the fact that a single action has an effect over several different entities? How would our world be different?

Consider our home and professional lives as a simple starting point. Everything we do and think has the ability to affect the people in our lives and, in turn, their reactions influence others. I believe most of us are aware of this impact and that we absolutely have the ability to choose the way we respond to every situation. Remaining constantly aware can be a challenge. But, like everything else, if you focus your energy here, you could gain the emotional strength necessary to control your every response, making sure you are prepared to respond rather than react.

It is a starting point to know that every transformation has a point of origin. As I have gone through my own personal journey, I have worked to stay in tune with what my actions state and how they influence those around me, including my staff and anyone I encounter, whether that connection is in person, in email or on the phone, whether it’s with my family, friends, children or their friends and families. The impact we have on others can no doubt provide a ripple effect. It is an amazing theory and such a simple concept to know that a simple act of kindness or an acknowledgement can be life changing. Are we aware of how influential our actions can be and how a simple expression of gratitude can enhance cause and effect?

When our state of mind is “pay it forward” or “givers gain,” it spurs greatness in all our daily interactions and helps confirm authentic relationships. Having been influenced by leaders that have demonstrated both, I find it amazing how you begin to see and seek greatness in all things. We truly could facilitate personal growth through our approach and response when we are in this positive, truth-seeking state of mind.

To have a positive and thriving culture and community, are we doing the best we can to challenge each other to be exceptional, to create waves in business and community development by holding each other accountable, not condemning ourselves but encouraging each other? The truth is we are all responsible for facilitating this personal growth. Whether it is through being the best possible role model or offering a great support system, we can create the positive ripple effect that comes from our own actions.

Jaime Novinger-Toigo is president of Service 1st Restoration & Remodeling, a community publisher of TheBurg.

A Trip Back in Time: At “Dinosaur Discovery,” you can relive both the Earth’s history and your own.

May 31, 2017 | by Gina Napoli

Imagine locking beady eyes with potential prey, smelling the breath of larger predators, guarding a nest full of eggs, ducking mosquitoes the size of your snout, and hearing the cracking of your babies birthing themselves through their eggshells.

Whitaker Center’s new summer exhibit, “Dinosaur Discovery: Where Science Comes Alive!” carries those misty, longing elements that snap me right back into my overalls and braces. Seeing those dinosaurs tower over me menacingly sent me back to elementary school field trips, reading about them in picture books, and being young enough to believe I could build my own time machine to visit real ones.

The exhibit’s curators took great care to choose a representation of dinosaurs with contrasting features: babies and adults, flight and ground, herbivores and carnivores, predator and prey. Most of the exhibits show them battling each other. There was no such thing as a safe space back then.

“Guests may remember that we had a dinosaur exhibit in 2013 that was very popular with families,” said Steve Bishop, vice president of Science and Cinema Operations at Whitaker Center. “We wanted to offer what we feel is a next-generation version of that exhibit.”

“Dinosaur Discovery” is decidedly upgraded from “Dino Adventure,” which already offered a fair number of robotic dinosaurs, preserved reptilian eggs and fossilized dino dung.

Today’s kids enjoy video game graphics that are far superior to yesteryear’s Pong, so they expect realistic graphics and advanced robotics. The virtual reality simulator pod delivers a realistic, minutes-long slice of life from a dinosaur’s point of view within the Cretaceous ecosystem.

You can also look forward to dinosaurs that are more lifelike.

“Guests can get up close and personal with over a dozen active dinosaur animatronics,” Bishop said. “There are a lot of components to the exhibit that are educational, but feel like pure fun.”

They can even operate one of the dinosaurs with a remote control.

Many of the easily recognizable species, like T-Rex, will be robotically roaring, eating, caring for their young and fighting with each other. And there will be others, more obscure, whose names I quickly forgot after passing my fourth-grade earth science test.

Because archeologists and paleontologists add more artifacts about dinosaurs as they discover them, “Dinosaur Discovery” isn’t a crusty exhibit stuck in a time machine. It offers up-to-date models and the latest information for all us science geeks. The field itself isn’t frozen in place, either, with a new genus and species of horned-face dinosaur recently discovered in New Mexico. It’s so new, it hasn’t even been named yet.

Little ones who enjoy a tactile learning experience have the chance to touch dinosaur skin, teeth and even a nest. There’s also a big sand table for kids to sift through with archeologists’ tools to dig for “fossils.” They even can find fossils by rubbing crayons on paper-covered templates, which holds more of a guarantee if your little one is easily frustrated and not as deep a digger as the older kids in the sandbox.

“I’m excited for Whitaker Center to offer an exhibit with such a popular and captivating subject like dinosaurs,” said Ted Black, the center’s new president and CEO. “The exhibit elements are going to be really engaging and a great complement to the other three floors of the Harsco Science Center. Coupled with the other attractions and museums in this region, Harrisburg has a lot to offer in terms of family entertainment this summer.”

Like the giant reptiles themselves, the exhibit will only be available for a limited engagement. It starts this month in the Gloria M. Olewine Gallery in the basement of Harsco Science Center and goes extinct from Whitaker Center three months later.

As a perfect pairing to the prehistoric theme, be sure to check out “Walking with Dinosaurs: Prehistoric Planet 3D” at Whitaker Center’s Digital Cinema.

This time, I’ll be wearing my mom jeans instead of my overalls.

“Dinosaur Discovery: Where Science Comes Alive” runs June 3 to Sept. 3 in the Gloria M. Olewine Gallery at Whitaker Center, 222 Market St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.whitakercenter.org.

Author: Gina Napoli

Garden of Earthy Delights: In June, Bartram’s Garden springs to life.

May 31, 2017 | by Carissa Bannister Kauwell

On a beautiful sunny day, I went searching for William Bartram.

Like most of my stories, this one began with a nugget of thought, and then research took over until I ended up at Bartram’s Garden in Philadelphia. Being a nature photographer, I wanted to check out the home of a family full of nature-lovers and discovered this amazing, historic garden. Perhaps I would also pick up a tip or two in my futile quest for a green thumb.

William Bartram was born in 1739, and his family lived in Kingsessing, a part of Philadelphia. His father, John Bartram, was a well-renowned botanist. William was an explorer, writer, botanist, naturalist and artist. He wrote “Travels” in 1791 about his adventures through the American South, among the first modern-style writers to portray nature in depth.

My day trip started with an easy drive to Philadelphia with the garden just a short hop off the PA Turnpike. I arrived on a Sunday morning right after opening. Bartram’s Garden is a 45-acre National Historic Landmark, and, when I first stepped out of my car and looked across the property, I was excited to see the skyline of Center City in the distance across the water. This was my first time visiting Philly, so I was hungry to take in every new sight.

I went through the welcome center to purchase tickets for a tour, conversing with the young woman at the desk, asking some questions then looking around the grounds before my tour started.

The grounds are free to the public and open year-round except for city-observed holidays. Guided tours are offered April through December. Aside from strolling through the beautiful property and having a picnic, there are artists’ workshops, musical performances and other arts and culture programs throughout the year.

While wandering around, I came upon the Ann Bartram Carr Garden, which was named after the granddaughter of John Bartram. This is the main garden in front of the house and welcomes visitors to the rest of the property. Ann was the one who created the 19th century exhibition garden, the first public green space at Bartram’s Garden. She knew other gardens were becoming popular, so decided to make theirs unique. With exotics as her specialty, she grew her own hybrid camellias and dahlias. At its peak, the garden featured 10 greenhouses, more than 1,400 native plants and 1,000 exotics.

During my tour, I found out that Ann had quite a knack for botany and drawing. Her uncle, William, spent a lot of time teaching her the skills and passions that he had. Due to the times, Ann’s talents were not acknowledged like those of her uncle and grandfather. Despite that, she was one of the first women to run a gardening business, and what really impressed me was her passion for sharing her love of nature. Being a woman, I can appreciate the courage she had to be a pioneer.

Sadly, due to financial difficulties, the property was sold in 1850. Today, Bartram’s Garden is managed by the John Bartram Association, which was created by descendants of John Bartram in 1893, in cooperation with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation.

Bartram’s Garden is located alongside the Lower Schuylkill and provides free kayak and rowboat rides every Saturday (in season). Instead of driving, you can take a short cruise to and from Center City.

Michael J. Nevadomski, marketing coordinator for the John Bartram Association, strongly recommends a June visit.

“June’s big event is River Fest on June 3, which is one of our biggest community gatherings,” he said. “Free boating, (a lot of free food usually), a lot of family activities and a boat parade.”

Writer Erol Ozan once said, “Some beautiful paths can’t be discovered without getting lost.” I started that day thinking I would find out more about William Bartram, but my adventure gave me much more. I went searching for William, but my journey brought me to Ann.

Oh, about my hoped-for green thumb—I purchased a native plant at the Welcome Center that day and, by some miracle, it is thriving. I think Ann would be proud.

Bartram’s Garden is located at 5400 Lindbergh Blvd., Philadelphia. For more information, visit www.bartramsgarden.org or call 215-729-5281.

Author: Carissa Bannister Kauwell

Artsy Rider: A new exhibit examines the art of the motorcycle.

May 31, 2017 | by BaCarissa Bannister Kauwellrbara Trainin Blank

Rodney Firestone has loved motorcycles ever since he was a child. But it’s only recently that he’s expanded his vision of them.

They’re no longer just a way to get around but are, well, works of art.

Firestone isn’t a “formal” collector of motorcycles. At the moment, he has a “mere” six of them. Since his father owned bikes, Firestone started riding them when he was 7 or 8.

“But my real interest began when I was 12, when my older brother asked me to pick up his friend’s BSA 441 Victor (British motorcycle), which had gotten a flat tire,” Firestone said.

Aside from rescuing a disabled cycle, he reacted in a strong and unexpected way.

“The bike, with its yellow and polished aluminum fuel tank with red letters, mesmerized me,” he said.

After returning home from being stationed in Great Britain as a sailor, Firestone bought a Victor 441 of his own.

“Forty-five years and 40-plus motorcycles later, I am still captivated by them,” he said.

So captivated that Firestone, president of the former Firestone Motors in Lemoyne, suggested to the Susquehanna Art Museum that it host an exhibit linking motorcycles and fine art.

The museum accepted his suggestion. The result is an exhibit entitled “Art in Balance: Motorcycles and Fine Art,” which opens this month.

So, how did Firestone come to see bikes as art?

It was by attending “The Art of the Motorcycle” exhibit at New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 1998—an exhibition that, according to SAM Executive Director Alice Anne Schwab, went down in museum lore because of the huge crowds it drew and its resulting profitability.

It also inspired Firestone—and the current exhibit.

“Ever since then, I’ve wanted to help others see scooters as more than a mode of transportation,” Firestone said. “I see motorcycle design as both artistic and functional.”

The Guggenheim exhibit featured 114 motorcycles known for their historic importance or design excellence. The SAM exhibit will be on a smaller scale.

The cycles to be featured include the Indian 1946 Chief (USA); Honda 1962 “Baby Dream” CA95 (Japan); Ducati 1969 Mark III Desmo 350 (Italy); Harley-Davidson XLCR 19977 “Café Racer” (USA); Yamaha 1994 RD350 “Kenny Roberts Special” (Japan); and BSA 2000 Gold SR (UK).

At deadline time, the museum was still wavering between two 1960s-era BMWs from Germany.

Artwork on view in the exhibit will include signature pieces from such noted artists Andy Warhol, Louise Bourgeois, John Baldessari, Agnes Denes and Sol LeWitt, Schwab said.

“We are an art museum, not a motorcycle museum obviously, and this exhibition gives us an opportunity to enjoy works of fine art, mostly contemporary and abstract, from collections,” said Schwab. “We will be borrowing works from Bucknell University’s Samek Art Gallery, the Woodmere Museum of Art and local art collectors.”

So, how is the museum linking the worlds of art and motorcycles?

“We’re looking at a number factors, some of which may resonate fairly easily and obviously with the viewer, others of which may not,” she said. “Personally, I think that’s part of the fun.”

The museum is building pedestals so each motorcycle will be displayed as a work of art.

“That said,” Schwab pointed out, “these are still running motorcycles, which will be ridden after the exhibition ends.”

The exhibition gala will take place on Saturday, June 3, followed by members’ preview event on June 6. Admission to the museum will be free on the third Friday of the month through September as part of 3rd in the Burg.

“The exhibition is not a definitive motorcycle show,” Schwab said. “Rather, it is one that will exhibit an array of bikes from different makers and countries of origin, each with the very distinctive characteristics that accentuate the bike’s design. We’ve selected the motorcycles for their design features, color, country (maker) of origin and historical sense.”

“Art in Balance: Motorcycles and Fine Art” runs June 7 to Sept. 17 at the Susquehanna Art Museum, 1401 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg. For more information, call 717-233-8668 or visit www.sqart.org.

Author: Carissa Bannister Kauwell

June News Digest

May 31, 2017 | by TheBurg Editor

Papenfuse Re-nominated

Incumbent Eric Papenfuse secured the Democratic nomination for Harrisburg mayor last month by a wide margin, putting him in a strong position to serve a second term.

With all precincts reporting, Papenfuse tallied 2,663 votes versus 2,048 for his nearest challenger, former City Council President Gloria Martin-Roberts.

In his acceptance speech, Papenfuse said he was “troubled” that the city appeared so divided during the election and that turnout was low.

“I’m committed to uniting this divided city,” he said, speaking at his business, Midtown Scholar Bookstore.

He also said he would make a strong effort to pass a home rule charter for Harrisburg in a second term.

“Home rule is the path to the city’s sustainable future,” he said.

For her part, Martin-Roberts appeared disappointed in her second-place showing, as she gathered with about 30 supporters at the Harrisburg Elks Lodge.

“We ran a good, clean race,” she said. “We took the high road.”

Trailing the field were challengers Jennie Jenkins (506 votes), Lewis Butts (124 votes) and Anthony Harrell (74 votes).

No Republicans ran in the primary. Papenfuse still must win the general election on Nov. 7, but he stands a strong chance in a city that is overwhelmingly Democratic. In fact, he also secured the Republican nomination by collecting the most write-in votes on the GOP side.

Council Incumbents Victorious

Harrisburg City Council incumbents emerged with wins last month in the city’s Democratic primary, while the results were more mixed in school board races.

Ben Allatt, Wanda Williams and Shamaine Daniels each won nominations for four-year terms, as did challenger Ausha Green. No Republicans ran in the primary.

For city school board, Democratic incumbents Judd Pittman and Danielle Robinson won nominations for four-year terms, as did challengers Brian Carter and Carrie Fowler. Incumbent James Thompson lost nomination on the Democratic side but cross-filed, so will appear as a Republican candidate in the general election. Newcomer Percel Eiland ran unchallenged for the nomination for the board’s lone two-year seat.

In other races, incumbent city Treasurer Dan Miller and incumbent city Controller Charlie DeBrunner ran unopposed, thus securing the Democratic nomination. There was no Republican challenger for either office.

Several races for magisterial district justice were hotly contested.

Incumbent Barbara Pianka defeated newcomer Josh Feldman for the Democratic nomination for district 12-1-02. Both candidates cross-filed for the Republican nomination, and, though very close, Pianka also won that race.

In Harrisburg district 12-1-04, incumbent Justice David O’Leary narrowly defeated former Harrisburg Treasurer Tyrell Spradley for the Democratic nomination. No Republicans competed for the seat.

And, in an open seat for district 12-1-05, Hanif Johnson came out ahead in a crowded Democratic field, defeating Harrisburg Councilwoman Destini Hodges, former Councilman Kelly Summerford and newcomer Claude Phipps. Only Phipps cross-filed on the Republican side, so he secured that nomination.

All of the winners must compete in November’s general election.

Illegal Gun Roundup

The Harrisburg Bureau of Police announced last month it has taken 82 illegally owned guns off the street from January to May.

Community policing, with a focus on getting firearms from illegal owners, helped the bureau obtain the 82 guns, said Police Chief Thomas Carter. He credited his bureau’s leadership, professionalism and training for rounding up the illegally owned guns with minimal injury.

“There are two guns right there: the police officer’s gun and the bad guy’s gun,” he said. “Those are opportunities that things could go bad or someone could get seriously hurt or even killed.”

Capt. Deric Moody asked Harrisburg residents for their support.

“Please continue to help us,” he said. “At least 13 weapons came from citizens picking up the phone and saying, ‘Here’s what I know, here’s what I found.’”

The guns will be destroyed if they cannot be returned to their legal owner, police officials said.

More Affordable Housing

Officials broke ground last month on the construction of affordable housing units on Hummel Street in Allison Hill.

Three units will be completely gutted and renovated, while five units will be demolished to make way for new townhouses for purchase by low-income families, said Gary Lenker, executive director of Tri-County Housing Development Corp.

The $2.25 million project, administered by Tri-County, is supported by grants from HUD’s Community Development Block Grant program, Dauphin County’s gaming grant program and the nonprofit, Impact Harrisburg.

The affordable housing project on Hummel Street plays into the city’s coordinated focus on the MulDer Square neighborhood near Mulberry and Derry streets, said Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse. A total of $31 million for housing, streetscape and infrastructure development is slated to flow to that area, he said.

“[This is] a tidal wave that can change the community,” he said.

Steelton Skate Park

Construction started last month on a skate park in Steelton Municipal Park.

Dauphin County commissioners Jeff Haste, Mike Pries and George Hartwick joined Steelton Council President Jeffrey Wright and Borough Manager Doug Brown to break ground on the project.

This will be the first skate park in Dauphin County. The skate park will replace the tennis courts, which officials said were underutilized. Plans include a dozen concrete skating features, including a bowl, officials said.

Homes Sales Jump

The spring home-buying season got off to a strong start, with area home sales jumping 16.8 percent in April.

For the month, 863 homes sold in the region compared to 739 sales in April 2016, according to the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors. The median sales price increased to $174,160 from $160,000, and average days on the market fell to 68 from 83.

In Dauphin County, sales totaled 288 units versus 255 in the year-ago period, while the median price jumped to $158,900 versus $139,900, said GHAR. Cumberland County sales increased to 327 units from 249 in April 2016, and the median price rose to $189,900 from $175,000.

In Perry County, 34 homes sold versus 35 in the year-ago period, while the median price was $123,387, a drop from $133,500.

GHAR covers all of Dauphin, Cumberland and Perry counties and parts of York, Lebanon and Juniata counties.

So Noted

Excel Interior Concepts & Construction of Lemoyne has received three awards for residential remodeling projects completed in 2016, including two awards in the best kitchen renovation category and one in the best bathroom renovation category. The recognition from the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Harrisburg came during the annual Pyramid Awards event.

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission last month appointed Patrick C. Morrison as site administrator to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg. Morrison, formerly the museum’s education director, replaced Jeffrey Bliemeister.

Roman Colon has been named the 2017 Oliver LaGrone Scholar, given each year to a graduate of Harrisburg High School. With the $7,000 scholarship, Colon plans to attend Penn State Harrisburg to study civil engineering.

Sweets on Market, an ice cream shop in Strawberry Square along Market Street, celebrated its grand opening last month. Mayor Eric Papenfuse, Harristown CEO Brad Jones and John Fulponi from state Sen. John DiSanto’s office joined owner TJ Grewel for a ribbon cutting.

TheBurg picked up 14 awards last month at the annual Keystone Press Awards banquet sponsored by the PA News Media Association Foundation. These included first-place awards for column writing, business/consumer story, feature photo and graphic/photo illustration, as well as the prestigious “Sweepstakes” award for best performance in our category.

Changing Hands

Bellevue Rd., 1914: C. Johnson to K. Bailey, $60,000

Boas St., 213: T. Stark to B. Wagner, $96,000

Boas St., 426: Secretary of Housing & Urban Development to N. Spence, $65,000

Briggs St., 1506: C. Jackson & K. Roach to S. Swartz, $110,000

Chestnut St., 2411: J. Andrews Jr. to P. & A. Maple, $140,000

Emerald St., 220: C. Shokes to HBG Rents LLC, $35,000

Jefferson St., 2635: A. & E. Ballard & S. Cornish to F. Brannon & H. Cabrera, $42,000

Kensington St., 2311: CJR Rentals LLC to L. Johnson & J. Ardrey, $68,000

Market St., 1912 & 1519 N. 6th St.: Rogue Enterprises LLC to CPenn Patriot Properties Midtown, $87,621

Muench St., 220: WCI Partners LP to Q. Vandermeersch, $172,000

Muench St., 608: LSF9 Master Participation List to Buonarroti Trust, $30,000

2nd St., 3217: M. Ruff to N. & L. Swett, $90,000

3rd St., 2447: Triple J. Associates Ltd. To Keynet Business Network Inc., $60,000

4th St., 1631: GWD Capitol Heights LP to K. Prince, $103,900

5th St., 2522: Rivas Property Investments LLC to I. Mirambeaux, $35,000

Front St., 1525, Unit 104: D. Waltz to D. & M. Liberatore, $123,000

Front St., 1525, Unit 501: C. Markley to C. Keefauver, $179,900

Front St., 1525, Unit 614: C. Fetterhoff Jr. to J. & D. Sciortino, $90,000

Front St., 1705: WCI Partners Inc. to Harrisburg Redevelopment Group LLC, $1,316,161

Peffer St., 224: D. Leaman to N. Dohner, $168,000

Penn St., 1624: M. Anderson & Y. Dilman to S. Hickey, $139,900

Regina St., 1440: M. Naranjo to CTD Group LLC, $30,000

Regina St., 1600: K. Yoder to J. Hendricks, $130,000

Reily St., 263: Nish Properties LLC to Cool2Zap Properties LLC, $180,000

Rudy Rd., 2492: US Bank NA to My Neighbor LLC, $33,600

Rumson Dr., 269: L. & J. Lewis to K. Bowman, $79,900

Showers St., 613: J. & B. Wildeman to L. Plummer, $160,000

3rd St., 11: Market View LP, Brickbox Enterprises Ltd. & Property Management Inc. to SOMA Associates LLC, $165,000

13th St., 1039 & 1300 Sycamore St.: Graybar Electric Co. to Brooks Property Holdings LLC, $720,000

17th St., 830: Greenleaf Investment Properties LLC to S. Flores, $35,000

21st St., 755: V. Tran to B. Zimmerman, $33,000

State St., 231, Unit 302: LUX 1 LP to E. Dice II, $107,000

Susquehanna St., 2306 & 2314: J. Cuevas & I. Padua to A. Salgado, $80,000

Swatara St., 2415: J. Saul to P. Mackie & M. Swanger, $160,000

Verbeke St., 213: J. & S. Bircher to J. & E. High, $135,000

Wiconisco St., 403: Willowscott Investments LLC to J. Negley, $113,800

Harrisburg property sales for April 2017, greater than $30,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

Author: Lawrance Binda

Prepared for Departure: Upon retirement, Michael Hanes reflects on his years leading Whitaker Center.

May 31, 2017 | by Barbara Trainin Blank

When Michael Hanes assumed the position of president and CEO of Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, he intended to stay five to seven years.

By the time he officially retires, in January 2018, he will have been at the nonprofit for more than a decade.

“As time passed, we had developed plans for a number of projects and new programs,” Hanes said. “I was committed to seeing that work completed.”

Over the past 10 years, Whitaker Center has refreshed its Harsco Science Center, created a fund to promote access to plans for facility renovations and successfully completed a major fundraising campaign.

Hanes further advocated for the creation of innovative science programs, such as “Surgery Live!” and the renovation of Select Medical Digital Cinema with state-of-the-art projectors.

“We have broadened the donor base with generous support now coming from across the community to include individuals, small businesses, trade associations, foundations and local, state and federal government agencies,” Hanes said. “We have continued to invest in a beautiful and unique facility, including new paint for Sunoco Performance Theater, scheduled for this summer, and to upgrade critical infrastructure as the center approaches its 20th anniversary.”

Hanes and his wife, Madlyn, donated the funding to erect a public sculpture at Whitaker Center’s Market Street entrance.

In addition, Hanes said he was determined that Whitaker Center would weather the Great Recession in financially secure fashion.

“We have accomplished this,” he said.

As one of his final jobs, Hanes is producing a giant-screen film about effective management of water resources, featuring the Chesapeake Bay. He actually retired a couple of months ago as CEO, replaced by Ted Black, but will remain as head of Whitaker Center Productions until January, when the project ends.

“This is a particular passion of mine,” he said.

Common Threads

Hanes grew up in northern Indiana in a house homesteaded in the mid-1800s by his great- great-grandfather.

“We were expected to participate in the work of the farm, and each of us had daily chores,” he said. “In addition, we were encouraged to be independent thinkers. Through the actions of my parents and everyday experiences, I learned to value hard work, generosity and lending a helping hand to others.”

From a young age, Hanes said he was curious about the world, graduating from the University of Indiana at Bloomington and eventually earning a doctorate in educational psychology, specializing in child development.

“Educational achievement was important in my family,” he said. “There was a clear expectation that my siblings and I would attend college.”

One of Hanes’s proudest professional accomplishments occurred when he became the youngest member of the University of Florida faculty to be named to the graduate research faculty. Subsequently, he achieved the rank of full professor in seven years, due, in part, to the fact that he had published four books in the first seven years of his career.

Other academic positions included dean of the School of Education at West Chester University and president of Georgia Southwestern State University.

Hanes came to Whitaker after more than 35 years as a professor, researcher and administrator in universities and nonprofits.

“When I needed a challenge, I would change careers,” he said, laughing. “But education and learning have been the common threads throughout my careers as a teacher, researcher and administrator.”

After retirement, Hanes will remain president emeritus of Whitaker Center, which opened in downtown Harrisburg in 1999.

“The center’s most important work” is offering “the public diverse and engaging educational experiences in science, visual arts and performing arts,” he said.

Better Place

Hanes’s writing background will come in handy when, post-retirement, he and his wife resume a project they had started a while back—collaborating on a book about dual-career couples. This is something they have lived for nearly 40 years.

“During my tenure as a university president, Madlyn was serving as the chancellor of Penn State Harrisburg.” Hanes said. “For nearly 20 years, we lived with homes in two different locations. Recently, the homes have been only 90 miles apart, but for more than 10 years, we lived in two different states separated by more than 1,000 miles.”

Madlyn Hanes is currently vice president for Commonwealth Campuses for Penn State University, having served as an academic and executive administrator there since 1988.

“As we researched the topic, developed a prospectus, and wrote a couple of chapters, we discovered that more and more professional couples are finding themselves in similar situations,” Hanes said. “We hope to help young couples develop the skills to pursue ambitious professional and personal goals while growing together as a family.”

After Hanes’s retirement, the couple also hopes to pursue their interests more actively. These include “trips to interesting places” in the United States and around the world. They have traveled to and worked in such locations as Ecuador, Israel, China, South Korea, Puerto Rica, India and Great Britain.

Hanes also enjoys sailing at Lake Champlain, the Chesapeake Bay and Biscayne Bay in Florida.

“We used to talk about retiring when I was 55,” Hanes said. “I’ve long since passed that. But my intent has always been to leave Whitaker Center in a better place than when I arrived. I believe I have.”

Learn more about Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts at www.whitakercenter.org.

Student Scribes: The View of Your Back

May 31, 2017 | by Austin Shay

Inspired by Jo Ann Beard’s essay “Maybe it Happened”

And I never thought that I would be sitting here looking at your back as you put your shirt back on. And I never thought that you would take it off once you saw the photo that I took. And I never thought that you would climb the cliff again. And I never thought that you would pose so elegantly as the sun was shining so beautifully behind you so that I could only see your outline. And I never thought that I was capable of snapping 527 photos that day. And I never thought that I could love you. And I never thought that you could get more attractive. And I never thought I would be sitting outside your house at midnight dropping you off. And I never thought that you would leave without a hug. And I never thought that you would just walk into your house without saying goodbye. And I never thought that I would sit on my bed waiting for you to text me.

How could I think that this one experience was going to change anything? How could I think that hiking for a photo shoot would make you fall in love with me? How could I think, after only a few short weeks, that you would be the one? How could you not even say goodbye that night? How could you only look at me with a faint smile? How could you close the door without even a wave? How could I possibly stay away even though my friends told me that you are just a little wiener? How could I sit on my bed editing your photos and not think about you? How could I fix the exposure of each image without staring at your face? How could I not get aroused when your complexion is close to perfection? How could I not perfect each photograph that I took while you were sucking your stomach in on the mountainside? How could I think that you would fall in love with me after a single day?

My friends told me that you were not right for me. My friends told me that would drag me through the mud and leave me alone and dirty. My friends told me that I should just move on, but I never thought I would have fallen so hard for you. My friends told me that you are stuck in the past and that maybe you are afraid of committing to someone. My friends told me that you are just using me for attention, but I can never think of you any other way. My friends told me that I need to move on and that I should just find someone new. My friends told me that liking you is just a phase, but every time that you speak I get lost in your voice. My friend told me that you are keeping me on the back burner, and I never understood that maybe you are. My friend told me that I need to move on, and after everything that we have been through maybe I should.

My friends told me that you were not ready for a relationship and I never thought that you would prove them right, but how could I think that any of us are capable of love?

Austin Shay graduated from Penn State Harrisburg in May 2017 with an English major and a writing minor.

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