What’s the Plan? After much delay, city officials lay out timeline to complete comprehensive plan

April 7, 2017 | by Danielle Roth

photo of all Harrisburg City Council members.

Harrisburg City Council held a public workshop on the Harrisburg Comprehensive Plan last night.

After a thrown-out consultant contract and more than a year of delay, city officials have laid out a timeline to get Harrisburg’s comprehensive plan to the finish line.

At last night’s public workshop, city officials said a draft of the document will be released for public comment in June. They expect the final version to be ready in November.

City Council members spent much of the three-hour meeting teasing out how a $200,000 consultant’s contract, which still has not yielded a draft document, became so held up and behind schedule.

After the city did not receive a final comprehensive plan draft by a March 2016 deadline, communication between city officials and urban design consultant Bret Peters slowly broke down, ending with the city terminating Peters’ contract, said city officials.

Consultant Bret Peters addresses city officials, council and residents.

After a negotiation process, the city made a final offer for Peters to complete the project, said City Solicitor Neil Grover. With no response, the city terminated the contract, Grover said.

“[His] demand was for more money,” he said. “From a taxpayer point of view, we cannot do that.”

So far, the city has paid Peters $185,000 of its $210,000 budget for the comprehensive plan. Peters told council that the city owes him at least $30,000 more for work already completed.

However, city officials said Peters did not deliver a complete, 10-chapter draft to them. The city requested “concise informative chapters” with goals and action steps, said Planning Director Geoffrey Knight.

The administration gave council members copies of the current comprehensive plan draft. The incomplete document, still missing chapters, was rife with highlights, question marks and other notes from the Planning Bureau, council members remarked.

City Councilman Cornelius Johnson called the document “incomplete.”

“[There are] sections that are just one-liners right now,” he said.

Peters gave council a stapled document of reasons explaining why his team’s work was not complete by last year’s deadline.

When council members asked Peters about the incomplete documents and the missed deadline, he placed blame on the city. He cited everything from a limited budget, bad communication with officials and the bureau’s limited capacity.

Members of the Planning Commission, a seven-person volunteer board, accepted part of the responsibility for the delayed project and questioned why Peters did not come to the commission’s monthly public meetings with his documents if he encountered difficulty with city officials.

However, as it stands, the city still needs to complete three chapters and polish up the chapters submitted by the consultant.

The city turned to two consultants to complete the chapter on housing and the chapter on energy and utilities. These consultants were sub-contractors who worked with Peters. Director of Community and Economic Development Jackie Parker will complete the economic development chapter.

City officials plan to release a complete draft to the public in early June to receive public feedback. Three feedback sessions are slated for this public comment period. After incorporating feedback from the public and the Planning Commission, city officials plan to have a final draft for a City Council vote in November.

Author: Danielle Roth

Fresh Feed: Harrisburg arts community finds new home in a hashtag.

April 6, 2017 | by Danielle Roth

Instagram users can find some very Harrisburg scenes on the HburgMade feed, pictured here.

Harrisburg’s ever-expanding arts community now has another home, this time on Instagram.

The account and hashtag, both under the name HburgMade, pull together photos shared by Harrisburg’s makers, creatives and artists, featuring their objects, creations and works of art.

With less than two weeks on Instagram, the curator behind @hburgmade, Drew Lawrence, said he’s learned a lot about Harrisburg’s arts community.

“It’s opened my eyes to different artists, events and photographers, not only in Harrisburg, but the West Shore and even Dillsburg,” he said.

Lawrence, 30, spent his 20s working in social media management and advertising in Washington, D.C., after graduating from Shippensburg University.

In D.C., he discovered @ACreativeDC on Instagram and loved the idea of a feed for the city’s arts communities.

“There was a creative movement down there that wanted to showcase D.C.’s creative community a little bit more and make it seem like [D.C.] was more than a government town,” he said.

When the Hanover native moved back to central PA last summer, he kicked around the idea of bringing the concept to his new community. When someone in Baltimore created a similar account, he decided to take the plunge.

He started the project March 28, and the community has latched on. The account has 366 followers and 152 posts fill the hashtag. The account posts and reposts aesthetically-pleasing and community-oriented photos from local creatives.

“I want to show people that there is a creative side of this town,” he said.

He encourages people to use #HburgMade to create a stream of local art.

“It’s not limited to people who make physical objects,” Lawrence said. “Professional photographers, street photographers—anyone can fill the feed.”

Managing the account is easy for the former social media manager, now advertising copywriter. Each day, he goes through the feed and picks a good photo from that day, he said.

“It’s not too complicated,” Lawrence said. “It’s a lot of monitoring, engaging, commenting.”

His only challenge is one faced by many with a side passion project.

“Just trying to not do it during office hours,” he said.

Author: Danielle Roth

Burg Blog: The Price of Protection

April 6, 2017 | by Lawrance Binda

The scene from a horrific fire last night on the 300-block of Maclay Street in Harrisburg.

Last night, shortly after 10 p.m., sirens began to wail in my neighborhood, getting nearer to my house until they seemed to be almost on top of it.

In Harrisburg, this sound is not unusual, but these sirens seemed to combine into a single force, coming at me from all directions. And as the volume increased, so did my concern.

I looked out my back window and could see a plume of smoke rising, maybe a block or two away. I put on shoes, grabbed a jacket and hurried out the door.

The fire was actually three blocks away, with two houses already engulfed, a wall of flame at their backs, and, in front, a stiff wind drove embers and acrid smoke across Maclay Street. I took some video, posted it to Twitter, then took in the scene around me: the onlookers, the neighborhood kids who had gathered, the trucks and hoses up and down the street, the many blinking lights. I was impressed, as I always am, by the precision work and professionalism of Chief Enterline’s men, who bravely beat back the flames, saving the entire block from certain incineration.

As I stood there, several other thoughts ran through my head: the safety of the people who lived in these rowhouses, what caused the fire, what the block would look like afterwards, if the houses were owned by “investors” and if they were up to code.

I also thought of a story that had broken several hours earlier—that the state legislature is trying to eliminate “Capitol fire protection” funding from the 2017-18 state budget. This is the money—$5 million in recent years—provided to Harrisburg to protect the Capitol complex’s 40 buildings, a sort of payment in lieu of taxes since the state pays no property tax on its massive holdings in the city.

This payment has been something of a political football over the years. Under former Mayor Steve Reed, it ranged from nothing to a few hundred thousand dollars a year. Former city receiver William Lynch and his people tried to standardize the compensation, arriving at the $5 million figure as a fair price for a year’s fire protection and, let’s be honest, a host of other services the city provides.

Several years ago, when Harrisburg’s financial recovery agreement was hammered out, I was surprised that this payment was not an explicit part of the deal, duly inked and signed. I asked Lynch about it, and he said that he had received assurances from the state that it would continue. I thought it was misplaced hope, and, as it turns out, it didn’t take long for state legislators to renege on whatever gentleman’s agreement Lynch thought he had.

Without a signed deal, this problem was inevitable. For Republicans, the fire protection payment is an easy cut to make, since it doesn’t affect their constituents, and they can even boast back home that they stuck it to Harrisburg (even if, in a weird meta, “Harrisburg,” to their constituents, doesn’t really refer to the city but to the loathed politicians that they themselves elect and send here).

And maybe the payment became even more precarious after the city, denied a commuter tax by the legislature, upped both the earned income tax and the local services tax. However, these taxes shouldn’t be conflated. Workers, not the state itself, pay the LST and EIT. The fire protection payment is really a substitute for a property tax, helping to fund the city’s Fire Bureau (and other vital services) so that the state can safely and confidently go about its business each and every day, including within the priceless Capitol building. That’s no small matter, and it’s not cheap.

In any case, Harrisburg’s representatives are now in the terrible position of having to re-secure that money every year, using every mode of influence they have. And the city is in the terrible position of not knowing if it will receive those funds, which threatens both its fiscal sustainability and its ability to provide high-quality emergency services.

Meanwhile, it’s not like Harrisburg is living large. This money is going to the most basic of services, ensuring that, when that terrible day comes (and it will) that a fire breaks out in a state-owned building, the Harrisburg Fire Bureau will be there, on site, within minutes, with the resources to do its job. Without those state funds, Harrisburg will have to lay off firefighters, Mayor Eric Papenfuse said.

Last night, I watched the fire on Maclay Street with a number of my neighbors, some from Midtown and some from Uptown. One woman cried as she spoke on her phone, describing the horrifying scene to a friend. She later told me that she lived in a house at the end of the row that was on fire.

I thought it was unfortunate that powerful people—members of the state legislature—weren’t also there to witness this tragedy. Then maybe fire protection wouldn’t be some abstraction or a number on a budget spreadsheet that can just get crossed out. They could see for themselves how high the stakes are—what is really at risk—and witness the heroic, critical work of Harrisburg’s firefighters.

Author: Lawrance Binda

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

April 6, 2017 | by Sara Bozich

I’m spending this morning with the GK Visual crew at St. Boniface Brewing Company in Ephrata for another Poured in Pa shoot.

»» Learn more about Poured in Pa. and find out how YOU can help!

Friday, I think I’m not leaving the house, not once. Deliver me food, feed me popcorn, crank up the Amazon Prime.

Saturday morning, of course, I’m hitting the gym then the market, but this time I’ll be setting up a Harrisburg Beer Week table with event guides and information on Battle of the Homebrewers — Buy tickets on-site (cash or credit) – just $25 (or $10 for Designated Driver, who scores not just boring water but nonalcoholic craft sodas from Boneshire Brew Works), benefiting Harrisburg River Rescue & Emergency Services.

I don’t remember what Sunday is, but I’m thinking brunch. I am dying for lemon ricotta pancakes. Anyone serve them? Or do I have to make them myself?

What are you doing this weekend?

(more…)

TheBurg Podcast, March 31, 2017

March 31, 2017 | by TheBurg Editor

Welcome to TheBurg Podcast, a weekly roundup of news in and around Harrisburg.

Stream this week’s episode on SoundCloud.

March 31, 2017: After a long hiatus, TheBurg Podcast returns. This week, editor-in-chief Lawrance Binda and city reporter Danielle Roth discuss the upcoming primary election, the city’s next steps with the sinkhole remediation project and student behavioral issues within Harrisburg School District. Larry shares his local election ‘bugaboos’ and both offer their take son the “Most Harrisburg Thing This Week.” As an added surprise, you may recognize the voices of those who excitedly welcomed back TheBurg Podcast.

Special thanks to Paul Cooley, who wrote our theme music. Check out his podcast, the PRC Show on iTunes.

Find the stories referenced in this week’s podcast:

Sinkhole Solution Nears: City fronts costs for project’s first phase as it waits to receive national grants.

Harrisburg Schools Update: Board, Teachers Union Address Disruptive Student Behavior

Trash Can-Do: The reporters have long moved on, but the struggle against litter, dumping continues.

Mural Majority: Harrisburg Mural Festival aims to paint a prettier city.

March 31, 2017 | by Rebecca Oken

Last summer, Sprocket Mural Works sponsored the creation of five murals around Harrisburg over the course of two months.

The group, founded and run by city residents Jeff Copus and Meg Davis, received plenty of positive response to this inundation of public art, and they were eager to do more. That’s when they got the idea for a mural festival.

“We saw all the excitement of people watching new murals going up,” said Copus, whose day job is program director for the arts group, Jump Street. “So, that’s when we were like, ‘Let’s just really compact this—do a festival type thing.’”

Together with Davis, also known as TheBurg’s creative director, they’ve been planning just that since last summer.

Unifying Effect

Both Davis and Copus long have been interested in public art and community building. Several years ago, when a mutual friend introduced them, Sprocket was born. Its goals were, and still are, to beautify Harrisburg and instill pride in residents, Davis said.

“There’s a really amazing community here of people doing really great things,” she said. “So, part of it is inspiring civic pride through beautification and through art.”

Sprocket’s first project was at Recycle Bicycle at Emerald and Atlas streets in Uptown Harrisburg, a building that, at the time, was riddled with broken windows and spray-painted profanities. Using money she’d earned painting an earlier mural, Davis recruited local artist Ralphie Seguinot to transform Recycle Bicycle’s exterior.

Seguinot shared Davis and Copus’s view on the importance of public art in Harrisburg.

“I think it draws people into the city,” he said. “I think [for] people who are already in the city, it definitely can have a unifying effect.”

Drawing inspiration from other mural groups around the country, Davis and Copus want to reach the entire Harrisburg community with Sprocket’s projects. Employing a wide range of local talent, past murals have gone up all over the city—downtown, Midtown, Uptown and Allison Hill.

The early September mural festival will paint “10 murals in 10 days,” centered around a walkable route in Midtown and downtown. Copus said he envisions visitors taking the train into the city for the day and picking up the “mural trail.”

Community is a recurring theme for Sprocket, and the mural festival is no different. At this stage of fundraising and planning, the group is seeking out community partner sponsorships for the festival’s 10 murals.

“The amount of money that we have to raise for 10 murals is considerable versus just doing a one-off mural,” Davis said. “So, this season, we’ve been looking into more community partners because these businesses and organizations are just inherently interested in supporting the community. It makes a good fit. They’re larger, so they have the funds to do that.”

Hands on Deck

The process of making a mural is an expensive and extensive one. Sprocket prioritizes paying its artists and sourcing its equipment and supplies responsibly. Plus, before artists can even begin to paint, the wall for the mural must be prepped and cleaned. Sometimes, building codes must be considered, factors that also add time and effort.

As Copus and Davis, who run Sprocket on their own time aside from their careers, make plans to do 10 projects in 10 days, it’s no wonder they’re relying on the community so strongly, for both monetary and moral support.

Copus admitted that the $100,000 to $120,000 Sprocket will need to raise for the festival was nerve-wracking at first, but he’s confident about all the good it will do for Harrisburg.

Davis expressed gratitude for City House Bed & Breakfast’s in-kind donation of the lift it rented for its own renovations, an item that will come in handy as artists paint multi-story walls. With partnerships with other Harrisburg-area organizations like Leadership Harrisburg and Lawyers for the Arts, Sprocket has lots of hands on deck to ensure the festival runs smoothly.

“It’s really exciting to see the people who get it, who understand that this is a no-brainer,” Davis said.

That mentality includes artists. Since even before they put out the call for artists in late February, they’ve been getting inquiries from all over the world, Davis said.

“That’s a delicate balance because we want to bring in artists to elevate what we’re doing here, and, if you bring in artists, there will be more national and international eyes on it,” Copus said. “But we know there’s a great talent pool here locally, so we want to make sure local artists have the opportunity to get involved.”

The mural festival will kick off during Kipona weekend with an event featuring sponsor and artist meet-and-greets. Copus and Davis also plan to have events throughout the festival, such as public art talks at local businesses.

“At the end of the 10 days, fingers crossed, all the murals will be done and we’re going to have our celebration,” complete with food trucks, a pop-up HBG Flea and community art tents for families to make art together, Davis said.

“I’ll probably be smiling a lot,” Copus said when asked what he’ll be doing throughout the 10 days of the festival. Smiling, combined with lots of sweating, Davis added.

As Sprocket’s founders look to the coming months and years, they’re excited for what’s ahead.

“We want to get through this mural festival first before we really try to figure out what the next steps are, but I think we both are looking forward to making more murals after the festival,” Copus said.

The Harrisburg Mural Festival will run Sept. 1 to 10 at various locations in the city. To learn more, including how to become a sponsor, visit www.sprocketmuralworks.com.

Author: Rebecca Oken

The Squids Are All Right: Calamari—dining out and at home.

March 31, 2017 | by Rosemary Ruggieri Baer

Early in my cooking “career,” I found myself wanting to cook everything. Every new cookbook was an inspiration to me.

I often laugh when I think back to some of my endeavors: An appetizer made out of Gouda cheese and green olives molded into the shape of a pineapple; hundreds of tiny, bright green shamrock cookies for St. Patrick’s Day; homemade ketchup (not as good as Heinz); homemade apple butter (I scorched and ruined the pan); zucchini pickles (no one ate them); and my own mint jelly (enough to last for countless roast lamb Easter dinners.)

I once spent three days roasting bones and making a demi-glace for a company roast veal dinner. Nothing was too hard. I loved it! And, of course, I tried my hand at cooking all manner of seafood: scrubbing mussels, peeling shrimp, poaching salmon, picking through crab for crab cakes, scalloped oysters and all manner of chowders and stews.

My father, who grew up in a little fishing village in Italy along the Adriatic coast, adored calamari, a type of squid from the octopus family. His little hometown, Vieste, is in the region of Apulia on the Bari peninsula. After my father was gone, I learned that the culinary specialty of this area is stuffed calamari and then understood why he spoke so often of this dish. Most often, the calamari is filled with breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic and Parmesan cheese and is baked or grilled. I never had a chance to make it for him.

My first encounter with preparing calamari was not a pleasant one. At the time, the only calamari I could find at the fish stand was not cleaned, which meant removing the head and “innards” as well as peeling off a thin, purplish membrane that covers the body. But today, calamari can be found headless and cleaned and sold with their tentacles only if you want them.

Most of us are familiar with fried calamari, a popular appetizer served at bars, as well as upscale restaurants. My husband and I enjoy the calamari at several Harrisburg dining spots:

Home 231, which serves them with a chili remoulade sauce
Sammy’s, which pairs them with an unusual ginger dipping sauce
Alvaro, the little Italian bakery turned weekend bistro where they come with owner Lena’s hearty tomato sauce
Note Bistro and Wine Bar, which takes fried calamari to a whole new level by serving them with a Meyer lemon vinaigrette and roasted poblano crème fraiche

But there are other ways to prepare and serve this well-known little squid, and one of them is in a pasta sauce that is easily made at home. With cleaned calamari readily available now (either fresh or frozen), pasta with calamari is a simple dish to prepare and a nice change from pasta with clams, shrimp or mussels.

Pasta with Calamari

Ingredients

½ pound high quality durum wheat spaghetti
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
A pinch of dried red pepper flakes (more if you like a spicier dish)
1 (14½ ounce) can crushed tomatoes (or whole plum tomatoes crushed by hand)
A pinch of salt
½ cup white wine
1 pound of cleaned calamari, cut into ½ inch rings (I skip the tentacles but if you like them, toss them into the sauce as well)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup chopped parsley

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions.
In a large skillet, combine olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook on medium for about 3 minutes, stirring gently (don’t let the garlic burn).
Add tomatoes, salt and wine. Reduce heat and simmer for 4 minutes.
Bring to a boil and then add calamari and lemon juice.
Add butter and parsley and cook for about 10 minutes. (Taste the calamari to make sure it is tender but do not overcook. Calamari can turn rubbery very easily.)
Drain the cooked pasta and add it to the skillet. Toss together for about 2 minutes so the pasta absorbs a little of the sauce and the flavors blend together.)
Sprinkle the pasta with the chopped parsley.
Serve right from the skillet or a warmed serving bowl.

Pasta with calamari is wonderful paired with an arugula salad, some warmed olive bread and a cold, crisp Italian white wine.

This is such a basic recipe that you can also substitute shrimp or scallops for the calamari or even combine several together. I know my father would have loved it.

Author: Rosemary Ruggieri Baer

His Musical Island: Violin master Kristóf Baráti arrives on Harrisburg’s shores this month.

March 31, 2017 | by Lori M. Myers

Renowned Hungarian violinist Kristóf Baráti is one of those musicians who gets to travel to faraway places apart from his native city of Budapest.

He’s no stranger to jet lag, having just completed concerts in Poland and Belgium, and, while he loves being home, setting down his Stradivarius and taking a breather, he’s looking forward to coming to Harrisburg this month and doing a sort of musical triple-header: a masterclass with talented Messiah College students, a concert at Temple Ohev Sholom and solo appearances with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra.

Baráti will be busy, and he doesn’t mind one bit.

“There are absolutely not many chances to play and do a masterclass,” Baráti said. “It will be great to share what I have experienced and what I think about music.”

What Baráti thinks about music could very well be a lesson for child protégés and pushy parents. Born into a family of musicians and spending much of his childhood in Venezuela, Baráti’ said that his mother became the first violin instructor who didn’t force him to play or even love the instrument.

“When my mother would ask me to play, it was like a game,” Baráti recalled. “Music was a beautiful world, and I liked taking part in what my parents were doing. Music got me through that delicate teenage period. Music was my little island.”

Peter Sirotin—artistic director of Market Square Concerts, concertmaster of Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra and teacher at Messiah College—said combining solo performances with master classes is common in large metropolitan areas. He saw benefits to both students and audiences and wanted to bring all three organizations together for this type of project after the successful residency with world-renowned pianist, Ann Schein, in 2014.

“I was particularly thrilled with the fact that her masterclass at Messiah College had also filled the hall,” Sirotin says. “It was a joy to watch her inspire and transform four local, young pianists into better versions of themselves on stage.”

That success sparked Sirotin to repeat that “performance.”

After Baráti’s first spectacular recital for the Market Square Concerts series in 2015, which he played the day before his Carnegie Hall debut, Sirotin started a conversation with Jeff Woodruff, executive director of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, and Richard Roberson, dean of the School of the Arts at Messiah College. Despite the logistical challenges, Sirotin wanted to bring Baráti to the midstate for a residency. They agreed.

“Because of the wonderfully collaborative relationships between all three of our organizations, we made it work,” Sirotin says. “Temple Ohev Sholom is involved because it is one of the venues where Market Square Concerts presents its performances in addition to Whitaker Center and Market Square Church.”

Sirotin admits he had discovered Baráti’s playing purely by accident. One of his Messiah College students had been working on a rather complex Bach fugue and so Sirotin turned to YouTube for a few good examples of live performances of that particular work.

“I came across Kristóf’s video from Moscow Conservatory Grand Hall, which is where I went to school and performed myself 20 years ago,” he said. “I really liked Kristóf’s performance of Bach and decided to look around for some more of his performances. I found that, in addition to his wonderful sense of style and musicality, he is also a remarkable virtuoso who performs some of the most technically difficult works for violin with charm, ease and flair very rarely found these days.”

Sirotin had the opportunity to meet Baráti in person two years ago during the violinist’s first area concert and had invited Woodruff, who also was impressed.

“I am thrilled that this project came together,” Sirotin added. “It is wonderful for our community to have the same access to the high-quality performing artists as large metropolitan areas, and a great feeling to have this level of friendly collaborative spirit in all three organizations I am involved with.”

Sirotin knows students will get some “fresh insights and helpful suggestions” from Baráti. Baráti hopes he’ll do even more than that.

“I want students to develop their own viewpoint and interpretation and their own way of solving problems,” he said. “I want students to get the joy of understanding music and the joy of music itself.”

Kristóf Baráti will perform at Temple Ohev Sholom on April 5, hold a masterclass at Messiah College on April 6, and perform with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra on April 8 and 9. For more information, visit www.marketsquareconcerts.org for the April 5 performance www.harrisburgsymphony.org for the April 8 and 9 performances.

Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra Upcoming Events:
www.harrisburgsymphony.org

April Masterworks Concert

April 8 at 8 p.m., April 9 at 3 p.m.
The Forum, Harrisburg
Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet Overture Fantasy,” Khachaturian’s “Violin Concerto” performed by Hungarian virtuoso Kristóf Baráti, and Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 12”

Pops Series

April 22 at 8 p.m., April 23 at 3 p.m.
The Forum, Harrisburg
Michael Cavanaugh sings the songs of Elton John and more

Spring Young Person’s Concert

May 5 at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
The Forum, Harrisburg

May Masterworks Concert

May 6 at 8 p.m., May 7 at 3 p.m.
The Forum, Harrisburg
Gershwin’s “Concerto in F” performed by Stuart Malina, conducted by Gregory Woodbridge; Rachmaninoff’s “Symphony No. 2”

HSYO Mother’s Day Concert

May 14 at 3 p.m.
The Forum, Harrisburg

Author: Lori M. Myers

Community Corner: Notable April Events

March 31, 2017 | by TheBurg Editor

Capital 10-Miler April 1: Run for the arts at the annual Capital 10-Miler, a race that benefits several arts groups in the Harrisburg area. The race kicks off at 9 a.m. on City Island. For more information, visit www.capital10-miler.com.

Photo Workshop April 1: The Harrisburg Camera Club will hold its 7th Annual Light & Creativity workshop from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Conference Center at Central Penn College, 600 Valley Rd., Summerdale. Visit lightandcreativity.org.

Street Cleanup April 1: Join Harrisburg Young Professionals for the annual Forster Street Cleanup, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Forster and 2nd streets. Volunteers will pick up litter, pull weeds and plant new, native seeds and young shrubs. Tools, breakfast and lunch will be provided. Visit hyp.org for details.

Spring HBG Flea April 1: Shop the HBG Flea for local art, vintage treasures and curated curios at Midtown Cinema, 250 Reily St., Harrisburg, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit hbgflea.com.

Art in the Wild April 2-8: Meet the artists as they finish up installations for “Art in the Wild,” Wildwood Park’s annual outdoor art exhibit, April 2 at 1-3 p.m. On April 6, artist Beth Galston will deliver a lecture, “Recasting Nature,” at 7 p.m. at the Nature Center, and the exhibit opens April 8. Visit wildwoodlake.org.

Networking Tips April 3: Harrisburg Young Professionals will host a presentation on networking with David Everett from the JDK Group, part of HYP’s 2017 Professional Development series, 6 to 8 p.m. at HACC Midtown 2, 1500 N. 3rd St. Visit hyp.org for details.

Addiction Seminar April 4: PinnacleHealth will host a discussion about addiction, 7 to 8 p.m. at Giant Food, 2300 Linglestown Rd., Harrisburg. Attendees will learn the signs and symptoms of addiction and where to go for answers and treatment. Visit pinnaclehealth.org.

Community Freedom Seder April 4: Attend the community Freedom Seder at Beth El Temple, 2637 N. Front St., Harrisburg, 7 to 9 p.m. The theme of the event is “We Are All Children of Immigrants: Welcoming the Stranger in an Unwelcoming World.” Visit bethelhbg.org.

First Friday April 7: Enjoy First Friday in Hummelstown, 6 to 9 p.m., with shopping, dining, raffle prizes, music and dancing. Guests are encouraged to bring donations for Morning Star Pregnancy Services. Call 717-991-5105 or email [email protected].

Understanding Islam April 7: Join Fredricksen Library, 100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill, for Islam 101 to learn the basics of the faith, its many denominations and its widespread diversity, 7 p.m. Visit fredricksenlibrary.org.

Easter at the Mall April 8: Harrisburg Mall, 3501 Paxton Rd., will sponsor its annual free Easter event, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., with entertainment, coloring, craft-making, face painting, prizes, egg hunts and special appearances by cartoon mascots and the Easter bunny. Visit shopharrisburgmall.com.

Flea Market April 8: The Flea Market & Car Corral at the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum, 161 Museum Dr., Hershey, will open to the public at 8 a.m. An auction will begin at 11 a.m. with items and lots available for sale. Visit aacamusuem.org.

Earth Day Cleanup April 8: In honor of Earth Day, Wildwood Park asks you to help clean up its lake, streams and trails, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteers will pick up litter and pull invasive plants. Bring a water bottle. Snacks, tools and work gloves provided. Visit wildwoodlake.org.

Golden Gloves April 8: The State Athletic Commission will host Golden Gloves Tournament Finals, 7 p.m. at Midtown Arts Center, 1110 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg. Champions will go to the national tournament, April 30 to May 7 in Lafayette, La. For tickets, call 717-787-5720.

Egg Hunts April 8 & 15: Go egg hunting at the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum, 161 Museum Dr., Hershey, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Bring along an Easter basket. Treats will be given to children ages 12 and under. For further details, visit AACAMuseum.org.

Dauphin County Egg Hunt April 9: Dauphin County holds its annual Easter egg hunt, 2 to 5 p.m., at Fort Hunter Park, 5300 N. Front St., Harrisburg, for children ages 2 to 9. There also will be a petting zoo and other children’s activities. Visit dauphincounty.org.

Easter Egg-Stravaganza April 9: Join New Cumberland Public Library, 1 Benjamin Plaza, New Cumberland, for its annual Easter Egg Hunt, 2 to 3 p.m. Children ages 2 to 8 can hunt for eggs and enjoy games, crafts and activities. Visit newcumberlandlibrary.org.

Gardening Workshop April 13: Penn State Extension Master Gardeners in Perry County will present “Pollinator Friendly Gardening,” 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Perry County Penn State Extension office, 8 S. Carlisle St., New Bloomfield. Visit extension.psu.edu.

“From the Top” April 15: The York Symphony Orchestra and young area musicians will be featured in a national broadcast and live recording of NPR’s “From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley” at 4 p.m. at the Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center, 50 N. George St., York. For more details, visit yorksymphony.org.

Networking Mixer April 19: Join the West Shore Chamber and local business professionals at the Afternoon Networking Mixer, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at Messiah College, 1 College Ave., Mechanicsburg. The event is free and open to members. Potential members may attend up to three free events per year. Visit wschamber.org.

Spring Book Sale April 20-23: Fredricksen Library, 100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill, will host its Spring Book and Media Sale on April 20, 2 to 8:30 p.m. (members’ preview), April 21, 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., April 22, 1 to 5 p.m., and April 23, 1 to 4 p.m. (bag sale day). Visit fredricksenlibrary.org.

Casino Night April 21: Vision Resources of Central Pennsylvania will hold a night of casino-style games, food and dancing in support of its mission at the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel, 4650 Lindle Rd., Harrisburg, 5 to 10 p.m. For details, visit vrocp.org.

3rd in The Burg April 21: Enjoy the best of Harrisburg during 3rd in the Burg, the monthly arts and culture event at galleries, restaurants and art spaces throughout downtown and Midtown. Check out all the action at thirdintheburg.org.

Great Harrisburg Cleanup April 22: Help beautify your city during the Great Harrisburg Cleanup, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at various locations. For more information, visit www.cactricounty.org/great-harrisburg-litter-cleanup.

Flea & Festival April 22: Join 105.7 the X and Susquehanna Service Dogs for the “People’s Flea & Festival” from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Capital BlueCross, 2500 Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg. There will be flea market stands, arts and crafts and food vendors. Visit keystonehumanservices.org.

Earth Day Festival April 22: Mechanicsburg’s 8th annual Earth Day Festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. along Market Street. Take in live music, locally grown food, vendors, exhibits, on-site animals and more. Visit mechanicsburgearthdayfest.com.

Tea Party April 22: The 4th Annual Little Miss Tea Party will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Our Saviour Lutheran, 420 N. Progress Ave., Harrisburg. The event includes hat competitions, kids fashion show, refreshments, games, entertainment, etiquette sessions and healthy initiatives. Visit littlemissteaparty.com.

Confederate Iconography April 22: National Civil War Museum, 1 Lincoln Circle, Harrisburg, will host independent scholar Kevin Levin in a presentation, “Confronting Confederate Iconography in the Wake of the Charleston Massacre,” 1 to 2 p.m. Visit nationalcivilwarmuseum.org.

Smart Cycling Class April 22 & 23: Harrisburg Bicycle Club will offer a two-day cycling class at HACC Harrisburg campus to help riders gain confidence and skills, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Contact [email protected].

Shakespeare’s Birthday April 23: Celebrate the life of William Shakespeare, 4 to 7 p.m. at Gamut Theatre, 15 N. 4th St., Harrisburg, for the annual Spring Fling to support the theater. Tickets are $100 each or $150 per couple. Enjoy an open bar, silent and live auctions, entertainment and food. Visit gamuttheatre.org.

Meet the Candidates April 26: Friends of Midtown will host “City Council—Meet the Candidates Night,” 6 to 9 p.m. at Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center, 1110 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg. All candidates are invited to share ideas on improving Harrisburg. Visit friendsofmidtown.org.

Book Sale April 26-29: Kline Library will host its Spring Book Sale at Paxtang Municipal Building, 3423 Derry St., Harrisburg, on April 26 from 5 to 7 p.m. (members’ preview sale), April 27 and 28, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and April 29, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visit dcls.org.

Geopolitics April 27: Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States, will speak at 7:30 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel Harrisburg, Camp Hill. A reception and dinner precede the event. Visit fpa-harrisburg.org.

Spring Bird Walk April 29: Learn how to identify birds in the field with experts at Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art, 176 Water Company Rd., Millersburg, 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Binoculars provided. Visit nedsmithcenter.org.

Independent Bookstore Day April 29: Midtown Scholar Bookstore, 1302 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg, will celebrate Independent Bookstore Day, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., with raffles, special savings, events and visits with children’s authors. Visit midtownscholar.com for more.

Race Against Racism April 29: Walk or run a 5K race along Harrisburg’s 6th and 7th street corridors to promote awareness of racism and injustice in our community and to support YWCA Greater Harrisburg’s racial justice programs, 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Visit ywcahbg.org.

Wetlands Festival April 29: Celebrate Wildwood Park’s wetlands with a day of free, fun and educational activities, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Enjoy wildlife exhibits, used nature book sale, presentations by special guests and more. Visit wildwoodlake.org.

Local Lunch April 29: Join Friends of Midtown at its monthly community lunch, held at Ted’s Bar and Grill Midtown, 1313 N. 2nd St., Harrisburg, 12 to 2 p.m. Contact [email protected] or visit friendsofmidtown.org.

Day of Dance April 30: Capitol Kickline, an annual event that celebrates dance education, will be held at 12:30 p.m. on the steps of the PA Capitol building. Dancers can join a flash-mob style kick-line performance and an afternoon of master classes at the Harrisburg Hilton, 1 N. 2nd St. Visit capitolkickline.com.

Taste of Jazz April 30: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church of Harrisburg will host A Taste of Jazz 2017 at the National Civil War Museum, 1 Lincoln Circle, Harrisburg, 2 to 5 p.m. Enjoy live performances, a silent auction and hors d’oeuvres. Visit stpaulstoj2017.eventbrite.com.

Inlands Meets Outskirts: Tar Heel flavors and Keystone styles at Red Sky Café.

March 31, 2017 | by Cathy Jordan

Chef Wes Stepp of Red Sky Café greeted me with two questions: “Are you hungry?” and, “Do you like seafood?”

Yes and yes, I replied.

He smiled broadly and disappeared into the kitchen. He returned quickly with North Carolina Crab Cake—what he called, “red-neck risotto.” North Carolina shrimp and a rounded crab cake sat atop a mound of seasoned, creamy grits. Spicy Sriracha sauce rimmed the plate. I yummed through mouthful after mouthful, telling myself to slow down.

“Southern contemporary,” Stepp explained.

Red Sky Café—named after the sunsets and the rehashed saying, “Red sky at night, gourmet’s delight”— expanded to Camp Hill in November, parked inside the former Sun Motor Cars dealership along the Carlisle Pike. You can find it attached to the newly opened Ever Grain Brewing Co., which converted the former dealership’s customer service window into an ordering window.

“We’re two separate businesses connected at the hip,” Stepp said.

In February, the café opened its fully functioning dining space, complete with an extended menu and specialty cocktails. A garage door situated along the café wall can be raised on a beautiful day to bring in fresh air, giving the dining space an al fresco feel.

Stepp guided me toward a spacious private dining area with space that comfortably sits 60 people. Business partner and catering manager Katie Kennedy decorated the row of tables for the evening’s dinner and beer pairing event.

“We have a full house,” Stepp said proudly.

Stepp, a self-taught chef with more than 25 years of experience, has been in this business since age 13. He cooked his way through college.

“I started out doing dishes, then picked up summer jobs in the Outer Banks [North Carolina], cooking in restaurants,” he said. “I moved up from fry guy to executive chef.”

In 2002, he bought his own restaurant, the Red Sky Café in Duck, N.C. The Camp Hill location is his second.

Business partner, Mike Kennedy, convinced Stepp to bring his cooking north. Kennedy has been a good friend and regular customer of the original location for 10 years. He invited Stepp up to central PA in October last year. After the two talked awhile, Kennedy said, “Wes, just open a restaurant here. People will love your food.”

I certainly did. Other customers have packed the dining area for events such as “Taste of the Beach Tuesdays” and “Tastefully Fit Seminars.”

Stepp said Red Sky Café in Duck is known as a premiere caterer in North Carolina, booking weddings, private parties and corporate events.

With a general manager running his place in Duck, Stepp is bringing a piece of his Red Sky to our backyard. The original restaurant provides fresh, local cuisine to its Outer Banks patrons. The Camp Hill location has a twist. The goal is to fuse North Carolina fresh seafood with classic central PA pork and beef.

“Inlands meets outskirts,” Stepp said.

I asked if he was hesitant to move up north.

He shook his head.

“I have a lot of faith in Mike, in his friendship and in his vision,” he said. “I’m excited about how I’ve been received and in how people have treated me.”

The fear of Pennsylvania winters didn’t scare away the West Virginia native.

“I’m familiar with northern winters,” he said. “I’m a big outdoorsman.”

And, as a sometimes-bodybuilder, Stepp also has a passion for fitness.

“One of my goals is helping use food as part of a healthy lifestyle,” he said.

Years ago, he “was challenged” to take part in a bodybuilding contest, he said.

“That’s when I learned about nutrition. In those 12 weeks, I journaled all my food, recipe’d it out, and came up with a cookbook.”

His book, “Tastefully Fit,” covers exercise, active living and clean eating.

“Clean eating is eating foods as close as they appear in nature,” he said. “When people get off processed food, their energy level goes way up.”

He plans to expand the health and wellness programs offered at his restaurant. Currently, he offers “Tastefully Fit” seminars and cooking demonstrations.

“I’d like to offer ‘Tastefully Fit To-Go,’ where I supply people with good food and develop recipes based on what they like to eat, packaged in a cooler and ready to go,” he said.

He also hinted at another recipe book in the works.

“I see Red Sky Café having a bigger part in special events and retreats,” he said. “I’m not sure where it’s all going to go, but I’m doing what’s possible. The gratification is in serving people, even when things go wrong, as long as it appears flawless at the end.”

Red Sky Café is located at 4444 Carlisle Pike, Camp Hill. For more information call 717-525-9722 or visit the Facebook page.

Author: Cathy Jordan

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