Access Denied

June 15, 2016 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse

Harrisburg can be a contrary place and, during my years here, I’ve seen little agreement on anything.

Until now.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse’s decision to blackball PennLive/The Patriot-News has not been received well by the public, at least not among the people I know and have spoken with, many of whom have generally supported his policies.

In my conversations with him, Papenfuse has cited several reasons for his antipathy to Harrisburg’s “newspaper of record.” He believes that PennLive engages in sensationalism, that its editors unfairly target him and that the comment section of the website is rife with daily debasements such as childish name-calling, rumormongering and outright lies.

Basically, he believes that PennLive will do almost anything to generate page views, which, with its “digital first” approach to journalism, is how it tries to make money. In an interview yesterday with Dave Marcheskie of abc27 News, Papenfuse said that PennLive was no longer a legitimate news outlet and compared it to the website Gawker, whose tagline is “today’s gossip is tomorrow’s news.”

Many people in the Harrisburg area would agree with at least some of these criticisms. Years ago, when I arrived here, three negatives really struck me: the racial divide, the division between city and suburb and a shared dislike of the Patriot-News, a feeling that seems to have only grown with its transition from a traditional daily newspaper to a digital news outlet.

However, like it or not, PennLive remains this area’s predominant source of news. Despite multiple rounds of layoffs in recent years, PennLive is still unmatched in terms of editorial budget and staff resources. No other media can compete. Not the TV news, not volunteer watchdogs and not TheBurg, which, for all of our progress, has a microscopic budget and staff compared to PennLive. You can argue with how PennLive deploys its substantial resources, but it does dedicate a reporter to Harrisburg, where news is never lacking.

Since Papenfuse decided to ban PennLive, people have speculated what this says about his temperament or means for his re-election prospects. Frankly, those issues concern me less than what it means for an informed citizenry. Yes, a lot of content on PennLive is contrived fluff, engineered to lure people into clicking on this or that. Most Harrisburg stories, though, contain useful and important information as reported by Christine Vendel, who is thorough, fair-minded and exceedingly professional. Her quality of information suffers without input from the mayor, who, in our form of local government, is the single most important source for facts, details, priorities and commentary.

Papenfuse has told me that he believes he’s gone out of his way to accommodate reporters and, in fact, I’ve found him to be quite accessible. I ask him to continue this commitment to openness and availability. In this city, the mayor has an extremely important public role to play, and I don’t believe he can fulfill it without engaging with PennLive’s city reporter. Yes, he may feel slighted, insulted and mistreated; he may believe that PennLive has debased itself with tabloid-style journalism. However, he is the mayor of Harrisburg, and, as such, has a responsibility to keep the people informed, even if he doesn’t like where their news is coming from.

Note: After this blog was posted, Mayor Eric Papenfuse responded as follows:

“An informed citizenry is not well served by the gossip-mongering hate speech that PennLive traffics in with its promotion of anonymous commentary. This is the antithesis of what is good for democracy, as it drives people further apart. I am committed to communicating with the public and believe I can do so effectively without engaging a clicks-for-cash business model that has little interest in the truth or the betterment of our civic culture in Harrisburg.”

History on Canvas: City artist completes years-long “Harris Project.”

June 1, 2016 | by Kari Larsen

John Harris Sr., the founder of Harrisburg, lies buried in a small graveyard under a mulberry tree in Riverfront Park.

The Art Association of Harrisburg sits just up the block and across the street from Harris’ final resting place, providing inspiration to one city artist who also happens to be a gallery assistant at the association.

Six years ago, Bryan Molloy embarked on an ambitious artistic project dedicated to exploring one of the foundational stories of Harrisburg. The story involves Harris, groups of local Native Americans and, appropriately, a mulberry tree.

The result is the Harris Project, which evolved over the years into a six-foot-wide panoramic work of oil on canvas that shows one especially lousy day for Harris—the day he was tied to the tree by members of the Iroquois nation over a trading dispute. Molloy depicts Harris as being rescued by Susquehannock natives, which is one of the prevailing versions of the story.

History long has had an influence on Molloy, who grew up in Boston and graduated in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

“They make a big deal about the wealth and power that they had [in Boston], but Harrisburg had more,” Molloy said. “And they don’t make a big deal about it here.”

With the Harris Project, Molloy does not so much depict a piece of Harrisburg’s history as he does explore—using 18th-century-style painting techniques—how a story vaults into history.

In the painting, Harris was modeled by one of his own descendants, Toronto-area resident Ed Sharp. Shaka Hudson, a Harrisburg native and Broadway veteran, modeled for the rescuing chief, as well as each Susquehannock native. The models wore handmade costumes, the construction of which contributed—along with the oil sketches and formulation of the overall composition—to the years of work the project required.

Molloy started painting the finished work only within the past year, and, though June, it’s on display at the Harrisburg City Government Center. Mayor Eric Papenfuse has recognized Molloy for his work on the project, and Sharp flew his family in from Canada and New Zealand to see it.

Six oil studies of details within the larger painting are exhibited alongside the main painting, including two of the rescuing chief, one of Harris, two of the Iroquois aggressors and one of a canoe. The costume worn by Hudson as the rescuing chief is also on display, featuring a wool cloak Molloy commissioned from Harrisburg tailor Bernard Ballard.

“I was always comparing it to the old colonial paintings in my head,” said Molly.

One of those paintings was William S. Reeder’s 1839 painting “An Attempt to Burn John Harris,” which depicts the same events Molloy renders in the Harris Project. As he finished it, “I found it looks even more like one of those old Colonial paintings than it would have if I had paid too much attention to the fine details.”

Molloy respected the work required to demonstrate that Harrisburg’s history is a worthy subject for an elaborate work of art.

“It took so much patience to create a drawing, to adhere so strictly to other styles, Colonial styles, and then to integrate the Dutch Masters style into it,” said Molloy. “It gives respect to all the traditions and symbolism in Pennsylvania that were part of the work.”

To provide viewers with a context for the art, Molloy created an audiobook read by Andy Taylor, a stadium announcer for the U.S. Open. The audiobook, available for purchase on Amazon, accompanies the painting in the manner of an audio tour one can choose to take of a museum exhibit.

Ultimately, Molloy said that he committed himself to the Harris Project not just out of fascination for the city’s past, but for where Harrisburg finds itself today.

“I didn’t intend to ‘make [Harrisburg] great again,’ but to show how great it actually is,” he said. “In times of trouble, with the bankruptcy and the corruption, it’s really important to see back to how amazing the history is.”

“The Harris Project” is on display in Harrisburg’s MLK City Government Center through June 30. The book, “Harris Project,” is available at www.amazon.com.

Films al Fresco: Outdoor movies return to Midtown Cinema.

June 1, 2016 | by Sammi Leigh Melville

If there’s one thing that’s been proven throughout all of history, it’s that people like free things. And while fun can be had in dumpster diving, checking out the “Free” section of Craigslist, and waiting for the first day of spring (fro-yo!), there is a more satisfying way to get your fill of “free”—the movies.

I’m not talking about pirating, for heavens’ sake. Last year kicked off the gathering of hundreds of people for “Outdoor Films,” presented by Friends of Midtown in Midtown Cinema’s parking lot. The community put to the test just how many people could fit in such a space with their lawn chairs and blankets, Zeroday crowlers in hand, children running around, and the scent of popcorn and hot dogs wafting through the air.

Such a sweeping success of an event will be repeated—if not heightened—in the upcoming months. This summer, six films will play on the big screen (and really, it’ll be bigger this year). The first will be a “Grease” sing-along, though each event will be preceded by a live band, and the five subsequent films will be a mash-up of sci-fi, comedy, fantasy and adventure, each chosen for their beloved qualities and family-friendly content. And, of course, one of those films will include a healthy dose of the ridiculous with Down in Front’s rendition of “Godzilla Vs. Megalon,” in which improv comedians will roast the film while it plays.

Like last year, “Outdoor Films” offers an opportunity to gather a community of people who may not cross paths ordinarily and connect them with that unifying love of the movies. Come on out this year to join the fun!

All movies start at dusk in the parking lot of Midtown Cinema, 250 Reily St., Harrisburg.

2016 Outdoor Films

June 10
“Grease” Sing-Along
Opening band: Rivers

June 24
“Guardians of the Galaxy”
Opening band: Indian Summer Jars

July 8
“Godzilla Vs. Megalon”
Opening band: Vulcans

July 22
“Back to the Future”
Opening band: Great Northeast

Aug. 5
“Hook”
Opening band: Shawan and the Wonton

Aug. 26
“The Goonies”
Opening band: Flower Garden

MIDTOWN CINEMA
SPECIAL EVENTS FOR JUNE

Down in Front!
“The Room”
Friday, June 3, 9:30 p.m.

The Late Shift with Zeroday
“Dumb and Dumber”
Saturday, June 4, 10:30 p.m.

Classic Film Series
“Life of Brian”
Sunday, June 12, 6 p.m.

3^rd in the Burg $3 Movie
“Monty Python and the Holy Grail”
Friday, June 17, 9:30 p.m.

Faulkner Honda Family Film Series
“Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure”
Saturday, June 18, 12 p.m.
Sunday, June 19, 2 p.m.

National Theatre Live
“One Man, Two Gunners”
Wednesday, June 22, 7 p.m.

15^th Anniversary Series
“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”
Saturday, June 25, 8 p.m.

Musical Notes: Summer Songs–June’s lineup matches weather’s warmth.

May 31, 2016 | by Andrew Dyrli Hermeling

Finally. Summer is arriving.

And while May has been a bit disappointing as far as spring weather is concerned, I have high hopes for the month of June. Days are longer. Nights are warmer. And, thankfully, we’ve got a great slate of musical performances lined up, too.

So let’s make a commitment to grab hold of all the wonderful opportunities the month has to offer. A nice cocktail enjoyed outside at Cork & Fork or Home 231. A cold coffee at Little Amps or Elementary. And some excellent live music at one of the many venues we are so lucky to have here in the capital of the commonwealth.

CHROMA, 6/10, 6:30PM, LITTLE AMPS DOWNTOWN, $5 SUGGESTED DONATION:
As someone who married into a family of jazz performers, I can attest to the amount of skill, creativity and practice required to be a truly successful jazz performer. Considering that Chroma is made up of local high school students, the band’s ability to improvise around a fusion of jazz and hip hop grooves is even more impressive. A tight rhythm section sets a foundation for funky progressions that are simultaneously laid back yet complex. Come check out some local up-and-coming virtuosos so you can tell everyone how you saw them before they were famous.

J AND THE 9s, 6/11, 9PM, STAGE ON HERR, $5:
J and the 9s are one of those quintessentially New York glammy punk bands turned up to 11. Taking inspiration from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, they combine thick and danceable hooks with the kind of sensual power vocals that only a female singer can deliver. Elaborately costumed, lead singer J9 adds flute to her performance repertoire, inflecting punk riffs with a taste of Jethro Tull. The result is a definite party atmosphere, with a heavy backbeat and just enough messiness to back up their garage credentials. They have recorded one EP, “Birth,” and their live antics will fit in perfectly at the always-eclectic Stage on Herr.

PRAIRIE EMPIRE, 6/23, 8PM, MAKESPACE, $5 SUGGESTED DONATION:
Prairie Empire is the type of gentle, pastoral band that somehow finds a home in the dense urban landscape of Brooklyn, N.Y. Perhaps that’s part of the charm, as they offer a musical respite from the honking of Ubers and the sounds of construction trucks. Musical accompaniment is sparse, leaving plenty of space for lead singer and primary songwriter Brittain Ashford’s powerful and emotive voice. The band is slated to release its latest LP, “The Salt,” in July, and, presumably, the latest songs will make up the bulk of the show. So swing by the MakeSpace as Ashford and company look to transform our small city into a quiet retreat for an evening.

Mentionables: Steve Wilkins, 6/3, Little Amps Downtown; Mountain Road, 6/4, Whitaker Center; The Ellameno Beat, 6/16, Stage on Herr; Hackensaw Boys, 6/17, Abbey Bar; Indigo Girls, 6/19, Whitaker Center; The Toasters, 6/21, Abbey Bar

Student Scribes: T-E-R-R-A-P-I-N

May 31, 2016 | by Joseph Sasu Jr.

A war drum beat inside of me.

The shaking was unbearable, but it immediately stopped, and I was transformed into a stiff redwood as I arrived at the microphone. The only movement came from the myriad of spinning words that acted like a bull-strong wind seeking to strip me of my leaves. For the past few months, these words would not leave me be. Sometimes, I cried a little inside from frustration as new words were added each day and each word clamored for attention, demanding special treatment. They each wanted me to remember whether things like their “s” sound was actually an “s” or a “c” in disguise or whether certain letters had identical twins. My father made sure I gave each word special attention; one neglected word, and he would make it a point to make sure that this never occurred again.

“No,” he would say.

I detested that word; it was all he had to say, and I knew what I had done. That word fed my stress like a spoiled child.

“Potpourri, p-o-t-p-p-o-u-r-r-i, potpourri,” I said, confident I spelled it correctly and that he was the one fooled by the word.

“No, again.”

But I must mention the “neglecting” was not always done by me; my father’s accent could sometimes turn already learned words into something brand new. “Xerophilous” became “Esterophilous”; my dad and X’s were not great friends. This was life for the months leading up to the ACSI Regional Spelling Bee.

The months passed faster than anticipated, and I found myself in Wonderland the night before the bee. Never before had I been to Pennsylvania, and I saw Amish people for the first time. Picture me as someone on an African safari who saw lions that didn’t lie flat on a page. Hotels had always been things I drove past, until that trip. I thought to myself that there couldn’t be a nicer hotel; I had found the world’s greatest hotel right there in Lancaster, PA. I refused to let anything ruin this other-worldly experience; I wanted to drown the words into the pool until they stopped moving. But, I knew I couldn’t. The room number matched the date of the Bee: “222” (Feb. 22), branding in my mind the reason I was here. My dad couldn’t make it to Lancaster so he called with the persistence of a telemarketer. Seeing other spellers offered some comfort because I could sense they were just as nervous as me, or I thought I could. I knew, however, that they had also been tormented by words.

The night before, I had a delectable, juicy bacon cheeseburger with crispy fries and a sundae bathed in hot fudge. The morning of, I could only stomach two bites of a muffin despite my sister and mother encouraging me to put something in my stomach, but nervousness already filled my stomach. I was dressed for my funeral; all I wanted was to rip off my black suit and jump back into the pool.

The spelling bee was as civil as that sort of competition would be, but looks did deceive. The spelling master, who resembled a business casual Mrs. Claus, began the bee by calling up the first of 40-plus victims, or, should I say, spellers. Almost every speller was engaged in some sort of mental battle either with the stubborn words or other spellers. We longed for the other speller’s misfortune and so did their parents, wishing their child to be left standing. I went as far as trying to telepathically insert incorrect letters into the mind of any speller who was at that microphone. It was ridiculous, but it helped to deal with the tenacious nervousness. Cheers of congratulations that masked pity arose when a speller would fall. However, the surviving spellers knew each casualty was a step closer to triumph; the tension grew. I knew the same “attacks” occurred when I was at the microphone. I couldn’t remember the exact words I spelled, but I remember the sweet feeling of relief when I would conquer a word. I was like a soldier relishing survival after each battle but perpetually afflicted with the uncertainty of what was to come.

I survived until late into the war, when I was snuffed out by a word that I do not recall. However, the injury was not life threatening; I placed fourth and qualified for the ACSI National Spelling Bee. I held my plaque the entire train ride home, relieved that I had survived, but also wary of the future that would involve more and more words. “Terrapin” was the winning word, but I do not remember it solely because it was the winning word. When we arrived at home, my sister, who attended the University of Maryland, surprised me with a “Terrapin Basketball” sweater that she bought before the bee.

Every time I take the train home from Middletown, I pass by the same Lancaster train station. It reminds me of my experience. It is not the night in Wonderland that sticks out in my mind. I have been to more hotels and I have witnessed life in Pennsylvania plenty. The experience of a competition in which only select students participate is what I realize I will tell my children about. If they find themselves in the same experience, I will tell them not to toss aside the words that they may find a nuisance, like I did after the National Bee. Learn to love them and learn their story. In the future, you will find them more of a blessing than a curse; you will not see them as a gale trying to strip you of your leaves and knock you down, but as a soothing rain that will help you grow.

Joseph Sasu Jr. is an information sciences and technology major heading into his third year at Penn State Harrisburg, where he is a member of the Capital Honors College.

Student Scribes: Malignant

May 31, 2016 | by Britney Buterbaugh

Crisp, cold mid-February air whistles through the slightly opened window of my car as I tap my menthol cigarette after each puff.

I’m on my way home from work—my job that takes up my time from the crack of dawn until the early night. My job at the hospital nearly seven miles south. My job where I help people—or I fail. Sometimes this happens, where I fail to save a life, and it takes a huge toll on me. It’s always my job to tell parents, children, husbands, wives… I couldn’t save them.

Today, I couldn’t save him. Emergency surgery on his heart, the transplant failed. His elder sister was horrified. The younger one went into shock.

On my way home every night, I crossed a small bridge over a major highway that bisected the valley beneath my hometown. Before the smearing of headlights and taillights below, I saw a figure of a man much larger than myself sitting on the railing and peering down to the stretch of road below.

Naturally, as someone whose job is to save people, I pulled to the side of the bridge. Killing the car and getting out, I brace myself against the brisk air. I approached the man, smashing snow with a satisfying crunch beneath my shoes, flicking my cigarette into the frozen fluff. He turned his head slightly to acknowledge me.

“Hello?” I prompted. The wind seemed to take my words and run with them. “Are you all right?”

He turned his face back toward the highway, many stories below us. I climbed onto the rail beside him, bracing my hands onto the slick, frozen metal. I stared down below at the cars racing toward us, below us, and away from us.

“I’m all right,” he responded with a puff of vapor. “I come here to think sometimes. I’m red-green colorblind. I like to imagine what the colors look like down there.”

“I’ve never seen you sitting here,” I said, admiring the whooshing sounds of the mid-evening highway and the colors streamlining by. “I always cross this bridge when I come home from work.”

“I’m never here at the same time,” he said shortly. He turned his gaze from the highway and faced some houses nearby. “The beige one with dark brown shutters?” he prompted without checking if I’d followed his gaze. “That one’s mine.”

I did know the house. I’ve seen it every single day since I moved into the large, beautiful house my wife chose many years ago only two houses down the street. I knew he had a dog, a tiny black puffball that barked incessantly at 6 a.m. I knew he had a daughter that was born maybe three years ago. I knew he had a beautiful wife who was tall and blonde. I saw him mowing the lawn in the summer but I never saw him leave the house. Although, I am rarely ever home.

Some silence came between us. He turned his face back to the road. I swayed my feet in the wind. I could no longer feel my fingers, and I could almost swear that they had become one with the railing of the bridge. I sighed, watching the clouds of my breath cascade from my nostrils and disappear into the frigid air.

“Are you all right?” He asked me.

With a furrowed brow, I thought, I remember when I was. I peeled my hands from the railing, rubbing them vigorously together, trying to gather warmth from the friction. Sitting on the railing became part of a balancing act. It’s been a few years. I left no response.

“I should get home to my wife,” he said, throwing his legs back over the railing behind us, reviving the satisfying crunch of snow beneath boots. “I’m sure she’s waiting on me.”

“Mine, too,” I responded after he was out of earshot, still rubbing my hands, eyes fixed on the road below, heart thumping as fast as the cars racing by. “She’s been waiting for a while.”

Cancer. I’ve seen plenty of men, women and children—no hair, sunken eyes, with or without hope—with cancer of various types, all that kill. My wife had cancer that killed her quicker than a blink of my eye. I remember when her bones began to get brittle, when the brightest eyes I’d ever seen went dark, hopeless. I remember when she’d cry into my shoulder until her wracking sobs nearly broke her brittle bones. I remember her thick, blonde hair becoming thin until it all disappeared. I remember snaking chunks of it out of the shower when she was at chemo so she wouldn’t see how much she had lost. She was afraid to die.

I started smoking about eight days after she had died. Funny how I pick up cancer sticks these days despite the despair I face every day without my wife.

I’m afraid, too. I’m afraid I’ll die and never see her again. Now, when I get home every night, I sit on the bed and stare at her photograph on the nightstand. A photograph from our wedding ages ago, her hair done up in careful ringlets. I burn her image into my memory. I feel her kiss on my lips, and I hear the wedding bells still ringing. I see her. In my dreams, I see her when she was healthy. I remember her so well.

The highway below calls my name, the whooshing sounds like the simple syllables she used to call me. The smears of yellow, red and white invite me; but despite everything, I know too well what the pain of losing someone is like.

I turn around and slip down the small slope of snow. I revive the car again and make the two-minute trip back home to fall into bed and hold her picture until I fall asleep, seeing her, feeling her in my dreams until the morning comes.

Britney Buterbaugh is a sophomore communications major at Penn State Harrisburg.

Student Scribes: A Mother’s Delight (After Sylvia Plath’s Work in “Ariel”)

May 31, 2016 | by Macey Kate Markovich

What kind of girl are you looking for?
One who smiles
as bright as the sun,
whose eyes crinkle and scrunch?
Does she have to be tall or scrawny,
fair or dark, when the sun shines upon her?

All you say. All?
My son I will give you all
that I can find!
My sweet, I will try not do you wrong
for she will not only be yours but also mine!

This one that I have found,
I am sure she is the one for you
my son.
One as good as me
but certainly not and never will be
me, oh son of mine.

She is tall with beauty,
her hair longer than most.
Walks with elegance
as if she’s a glass in the air
always on toast.
Without doubt she can be a
graciously mannered host!

Looking sweeter in white
Rather than black, come take her hand
And marry her tonight.

Excuse all the others,
this one is certainly for you.
May you dress her in Silver and Gold
And forever you will shine
with her, as beautiful as me!

So come, come now!
Marry her tonight,
She will look like a doll
My eyes will show nothing but delight.
My son, come,
come now!

Macey Kate Markovich is a first-year English major at Penn State Harrisburg.

Food Network: Harrisburg’s craft food producers have formed a culture of cooperation, a web of support.

May 31, 2016 | by M. Diane McCormick

Urban Churn Ice Cream

Maybe the chalkboard notice at Zeroday Brewing Co. says it all. “Add a scoop of Urban Churn vanilla to any beer/soda!”

Or perhaps it’s the Elementary Coffee mocha made with Frederic Loraschi chocolate. Oh, and you can enjoy Yellow Bird Café cookies at Midtown Cinema, and One Good Woman coffee at Yellow Bird Café. Can’t get to Little Amps for coffee? Enjoy a sip at Garlic Poet restaurant or at the new Dalicia Bakery. If you haven’t made it to Midstate Distillery yet, try their Iron and Ice vodka on Café 1500’s summer cocktail menu.

As the Harrisburg-area craft food scene reaches a nice al dente, more and more vendors are partnering up to serve products created by their neighbors. They aren’t just sourcing from local suppliers. They’re cooking up new food pairings, cross-marketing their names, and cultivating new audiences hungry for unique tastes.

Through it all, they say, they’re lifting the city’s entrepreneurial spirit to new heights of innovation.

Support Group
Andrea Grove dreamt of more than just roasting coffee. The founder of Elementary Coffee Co. sought “to functionally be part of a community, and, with that, is finding solid partners to meet up with.”

“There’s a lot beyond just local ingredients,” said Grove at her Broad Street Market stand. “You become more than business partners. You become friends.”

Grove flavors her hand-roasted beans and brews with spices from Calicutts Spice Co. in Lemoyne (“You can smell the difference,” she says). Elementary Coffee is served at such establishments as the Millworks, City House B&B, Midtown Cinema and Chris and Val’s Café in Lemoyne. And the hot chocolate and mocha on the Elementary Coffee menu are flavored with mixes from the local, nationally known Frederic Loraschi Chocolate.

Grove reached out to chocolatier Loraschi before launching her business in 2014. She found they could talk about business and life, establishing the kind of supportive friendship that justifies one-on-one dealings, instead of contracting with big suppliers for everything.

“It divides your focus a little bit and divides your time, but the payoff is there, because you’re establishing something that gives longevity to your relationships and loyalty to the product as you move forward,” she said. “When you grow, you can grow together.”

Loraschi was well established, with customers in dozens of far-flung hotels and restaurants, when Grove called. Though Elementary Coffee Co. constitutes a tiny portion of Loraschi’s accounts, “sometimes it’s not about business,” Loraschi said from his pristine shop in Colonial Park. “It’s about connections with people, connections with the community.”

Through collaborations, food specialists bond with like-minded entrepreneurs, the kind who work long hours and have a passion for their product, said Loraschi. Starting a business “takes a lot of courage.”

“You don’t know how it’s going to work,” he said. “You give it your best try. When there is a young entrepreneur like Andrea, you want to help that person. You want to give advice. It was the excitement of helping someone start something new.”

Idea Exchange
Balsamic vinegar and kumquat ice cream, anyone? Sure, said Urban Churn founder Adam Brackbill. It’s a favorite of his, and Garlic Poet chef Kurt Wewer inspired it. Exchanging ideas and customers is a welcome byproduct of collaborations.

“I get a lot of ideas for creative flavors from him,” said Brackbill, who founded his business to bring old-fashioned churned ice cream to city living.

At Zeroday, Urban Churn is ready for floating in a brew or soda. In turn, Zeroday brews can be found on tap, depending on the rotation, in such restaurants as Garlic Poet, Café 1500, Rubicon and Home 231. By working together and “figuring out ways we can intertwine products, it is allowing us to access a broader customer base,” said Brandalynn Armstrong, Zeroday co-founder with her husband, Theo.

“Rubicon has a customer base that we may not get, and we have a customer base that Rubicon might not get,” said Armstrong as she prepared to open the Midtown tasting room for the evening. “By working together, it expands our footprint, our marketing, our branding. We’re all small businesses. Huge advertising budgets aren’t really there. By supporting each other, it helps us all.”

Changing Habits
When Grove serves a Frederic Loraschi-flavored mocha, “There’s a story behind his product that I can tell to customers, if they’re interested.” It goes something like this: Loraschi is French, world renowned, and “everything he creates is very pure. We know what goes into his chocolate.”

“It creates a larger picture, which is where the trend is going,” she said. “People want to know the story behind their products. We can honestly tell you what’s in it, but it’s also neat for the customer who’s buying it. They say, ‘I’m part of something larger,’ and they’re invited to enter into that story.”

Sprinkling unique, lovingly crafted products around town encourages shoppers to escape the grocery-store grind, say vendors.

“We’re going back to having the butcher,” said Loraschi. “We’re going back to having the baker. There is a resurgence. People want to know more about where their things are coming from, how they’re made, who makes them.”

Even Midtown Cinema taps into the craft food scene. The lobby is Urban Churn’s scoop shop. Java comes from Elementary Coffee Co. (“The ‘Elixir’ is delightful,” said Director of Operations Adam Porter, referring to the cinema’s espresso/ice cream/spice concoction). Zeroday acquired a can sealer that allows moviegoers to exit Zeroday’s tasting room and enter Midtown Cinema with an unopened can of craft beer (thank you, Pennsylvania liquor laws).

When customers can indulge in local tastes and BYOZ—yes, that’s “Bring Your Own Zeroday”—they get “an experience they can’t have at home or the megaplex,” said Porter. Naturally, a movie theater must serve popcorn (Midtown Cinema’s comes from Ephrata, by the way), but supplementing with local fare amps up the excitement and benefits all businesses “from a rising-tide standpoint,” he said.

Right Direction
Collaborations bring together people driven by “new energies,” said Armstrong. “You get to meet really awesome people who have the common core ideal of, ‘How can we make Harrisburg better?’ Sustainability can come from people living in the city, but growth comes from attracting outsiders to the city.”

The expanding “web of relationships” benefits businesspeople and customers, said Grove. Shoppers enjoy new tastes. Businesses find more opportunities in an ever-growing pool of potential partners.

“More than anything, you always hope with Harrisburg that momentum’s going to continue, but the fact that more and more people are moving in here and focused here and willing to start up businesses here is proving that Harrisburg is moving in the right direction,” said Grove.

Today’s entrepreneur-driven renaissance “is probably going to stick better” than the mega-project mindset of past city redevelopment “because there are so many people doing projects independently of one another, but all with the same goal of making this neighborhood and this city a cool, fun place to be,” said Porter.

As a roaster, Grove occupies the heart of this foodie ecosystem because coffee is “a focal point for everything that’s happening around it, whether it’s just conversations or revolutions rising up over a cup of coffee or the fact that there are a lot of ingredients involved.” And whether shoppers buy local coffee, chocolate, beer or ice cream, they are community-oriented and “meeting over food.”

“You’re part of a larger picture, a larger meal that’s happening, a part of a larger drink that’s going on,” Grove said. “That’s exciting.”

Where Can I Find?

Elementary Coffee

Chris & Val’s Café
City House Bed & Breakfast
Midtown Cinema
The Millworks

Frederic Loraschi Chocolate

Elementary Coffee Co.

Hummer’s Meats

The Harrisburger

Little Amps Coffee

Al’s of Hampden
Café Uovo
Dalicia Bakery
Garlic Poet
Radish & Rye
Rubicon

Midstate Distillery Spirits

Café 1500
Home 231
Lancaster Brewing Co.
Mangia Qui
Bistro and Winebar

One Good Woman Coffee

Yellow Bird Café

Pizza Boy Brewing Co. Beer

The Millworks

Popped Culture Popcorn

Abbey Bar/ABC
Little Amps Coffee Roasters
Midstate Distillery
Zeroday Brewing Co.

Short & Sweet Bakery

Little Amps Coffee Roasters
One Good Woman

Urban Churn Ice Cream

Evanilla Gourmet Donuts
Garlic Poet
Grain and Verse
Lancaster Brewing Co.
Midtown Cinema
Zeroday Brewing Co.

Yellow Bird Café Cookies

Midtown Scholar Bookstore

Self Portrait of an Artist: “Sondheim on Sondheim” opens at Open Stage of Harrisburg.

May 31, 2016 | by Cindy Dlugolecki

“Surprise is the lifeblood of the theater,” master composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim insists in his book, “Look, I Made a Hat.” He explains theater surprises come “in many flavors: a plot twist, a passage of dialogue, a character revelation, a note in a melody, a harmonic progression . . . all the elements of theater.”

So surprise! Open Stage of Harrisburg is bringing Stephen Sondheim to Harrisburg. No, not in person. But the Broadway genius will be chatting with OSH audiences via taped video footage during the production of “Sondheim on Sondheim,” a musical that opens on June 10.

“It’s a challenge selecting musical theater to present in our intimate venue,” explains director Don Alsedek. “So many musicals are physically just too large for our space. ‘Sondheim on Sondheim’ has a chamber feel and is well suited in size and content for Open Stage.”

Conceived by director/playwright/librettist James Lapine, “Sondheim on Sondheim” combines Broadway songs—songs created by the prolific 80-year-old Sondheim for 19 shows produced over six decades—with sometimes intimate, sometimes funny, and sometimes painful archival and interview footage. The audience will be surprised at what they learn about this legend who spent his formative years “next door” in Doylestown, Pa., living three miles from Dorothy and Oscar Hammerstein. The Hammersteins became his surrogate parents; Oscar was his role model.

Though some may characterize this musical that premiered on Broadway in 2010 as a “cabaret,” music director and keyboardist David M. Glasgow believes the reality is more complex.

“What we’re finding as we dig down into it as a production team and as a cast is that this really is an autobiographical portrait of a wonderfully generous musician, artist and teacher,” he says. “Most of the songs are ones we’ve heard before. But, in the context of Sondheim’s own story, they take on new poignancy and reach us in wonderfully unexpected ways.”

It’s no surprise that Sondheim’s signature dissonant harmonies may jar some ears.

“A lot of people—a lot of musicians anyway—joke that, in a Sondheim musical, the pianist is in one key, the orchestra in another and the singers in a third,” says Glasgow. “But every dissonance and key change is there for a reason.”

Eight Harrisburg-based musical theater artists will tackle and interpret the challenging score. Local theater patrons will recognize the names and talents of Anne Alsedek, Anthony Barber, George Diehl, Becky S. Mease, Stuart Landon, Sarah Pugh, Amy Rosenberry and David Ramon Zayas.

Lafferty describes Sondheim’s music as “quick moving and very wordy so it can be hard to keep up with.”

Barber, making his Open Stage debut, agrees.

“It is more of a physical challenge to get all of the words out and trying to figure out when to take a breath,” he says.

Lafferty adds that, sometimes, the music “looks like it wouldn’t make sense, but when you study it, you realize there is no other way to make it work so beautifully!”

Rosenberry says that she can “actually feel” Sondheim’s words when she sings them.

“He describes scenes and emotions through song like no one else can,” she says.

Barber adds that there’s “rarely, if ever” a filler song in a Sondheim show.

“I think his music drives the story along in a way that only his shows can succeed in doing,” he says.

The performers agree that the surprising personal information Sondheim shares adds to their musical interpretation. Hearing the poignant genesis of “Children Will Listen” has inspired Rosenberry to sing it for her sons.

Lafferty is surprised by the quirks Sondheim reveals about himself in the song “God.”

“So many people do look to him as a musical “god,” and these quirks really show how human he is,” she says. “Brilliant, but still human.”

Glasgow concurs, calling the man we meet in the video interviews “humble and fallible and even insecure.”

“We’re used to seeing the finished product,” he says. “We forget that even someone like Sondheim struggles along the way with artistic choices and integrity and criticism and how to make art that still pays the bills.”

“Sondheim on Sondheim” runs over three weekends, June 10 to June 26. Tickets are $25 to $35 and can be purchased online at www.openstagehbg.com or by phone at 717-232-6736 or at the box office. Open Stage is located at 25 N. Court St., on the street level of the Walnut Street parking garage, in downtown Harrisburg.

June Theater Events
At Harrisburg’s Professional
Downtown Theaters

At Gamut Theatre
www.gamuttheatre.org

FREE SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK
“The Merry Wives of Windsor”
June 3-18
Wednesday-Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

POPCORN HAT PLAYERS PRESENT
“Wonder Tales From Around The World”
June 6-18
Saturdays at 1 p.m.
Wednesdays and Thursdays available by request for groups of 20 or more

AT OPEN STAGE
OF HARRISBURG
www.openstagehbg.com

“SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM”
A musical revue
June 10-26
Tickets $25-$35

The “HUNDRED ACRE WOOD” Project
A theater workshop for students 8 to 11
exploring the world of Winnie-the-Pooh
June 20-July 8
Enrollment by audition: 717-214-3248

MUSIC THEATRE WORKSHOP Auditions
Sunday, June 12
A summer intensive for students 8 to 11
Workshop July 11-29 at Open Stage of Harrisburg
Enrollment by audition: 717-214-3248

Community Corner: Notable June Events

May 31, 2016 | by TheBurg Editor

June Community Corner

Summer Reading
June 1-Aug. 30: Dauphin County Library System invites readers of all ages to participate in its “On Your Mark, Get Set… Read!” summer reading club. Participants can learn more at dcls.org or by visiting a Dauphin County library.

Free Shakespeare
June 3-18: The annual “Free Shakespeare in the Park” returns this year with a showing of “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” The Gamut Theatre production runs Wednesdays to Saturdays, starting at 7:30 p.m. at the band shell at Reservoir Park, Harrisburg. More information is at gamuttheatre.org.

HBG Flea
June 4: The HBG Flea outdoor market will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on N. 3rd Street between Herr and Cumberland streets. Enjoy local art among vendors, food trucks, music and more. For more details, visit hbgflea.com.

Hilltop Fun Fest
June 4: Slate Hill Mennonite Church, 1352 Slate Hill Rd., Camp Hill, will host its free Hilltop Fun Fest from 5 to 9 p.m. Enjoy free food, children’s activities, interacting with non-profit and service organizations, as well as live music. Visit HFF2016.com for more details.

Concert Celebration
June 5: The Jewish Community Center, 3301 N. Front St., Harrisburg, will host a concert celebration at 4 p.m. featuring the Western Wind and Kol HaNeshama, in memory of local philanthropist Janet Staub. Visit jewishharrisburg.org.

Leads Over Lunch
June 7: Mix and mingle with business leaders at this free lunch hosted by Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC at Country Club of Harrisburg, 401 Fishing Creek Valley Rd., 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visit harrisburgregionalchamber.org.

Chorale Auditions
June 7-13: Susquehanna Chorale will hold general auditions on June 13 and 20, 6:30 to 9 p.m., at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 212 Cocoa Ave., Hershey, as well as youth auditions on June 7, 6:30 to 9 p.m., and June 11, 12 to 2:30 p.m., at Camp Hill High School, 100 S. 24th St. Visit susquehannachorale.org.

Networking Mixer
June 8: Join the West Shore Chamber and other local business professionals at the June Evening Networking Mixer, 5 to 7 p.m., at Holy Spirit Hospital, 503 N. 21st St., Camp Hill. The event is free and open to chamber members. Visit wschamber.org.

Ladies Who Lead
June 9: The Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC will host the “Ladies Who Lead” conference at Best Western Premier, 800 E. Park Dr., Harrisburg, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Coquese Washington, head coach of the Penn State women’s basketball program, will speak. Visit harrisburgregionalchamber.org.

Waterway Workshop
June 9: Learn how to improve ponds and waterways at a workshop sponsored by the Cumberland Woodland Owners Association. The free event will be held 7 to 9 p.m. at the Penn State Extension Office, 310 Allen Rd., Carlisle. To learn more, contact Mike Waldron at 717-677-7317 or [email protected].

Outdoor Movies
June 10 & 24: Friends of Midtown and Midtown Cinema will host two outdoor movies in June: “Grease” (sing-a-long) on June 10 and “Guardians of the Galaxy” on June 24 at Midtown Cinema, 250 Reily St., Harrisburg. Both films begin at dusk and, in case of rain, will be delayed until Saturday. Admission is free. Visit friendsofmidtown.org.

Bike & Walk Tour
June 11: Brethren Housing Association, 219 Hummel St., Harrisburg, will host a 20-mile “Mission Possible Bike and Walk” via the Capital Area Greenbelt loop, beginning at 8 a.m., to raise funds to provide housing and opportunities to homeless families. For more information, visit bikeforbha.org.

Pilates Studio Opening
June 11: Join Absolute Pilates for the grand opening of its studio at Blue Ridge Golf and Tennis Club, 3940 Linglestown Rd., Harrisburg, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Enjoy free Pilates classes, raffle prizes and snacks. For more details, visit absolutepilates.com.

Volunteer Work Day
June 11: Head to Wildwood Park, 100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg, to help with park and habitat enhancement projects, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Snacks, tools and work gloves will be provided. Please bring along a water bottle. Refreshments will be available. Visit wildwoodlake.org.

Local Lunch
June 11: Join Friends of Midtown at its monthly community lunch, which will be held at the Millworks, 340 Verbeke St., Harrisburg, 12 to 2 p.m. Email [email protected] or visit friendsofmidtown.org.

Night at the Museum
June 11: Susquehanna Art Museum, 1401 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg, will host “Night at the Museum,” a festive benefit featuring fine food and beverage, a gallery exhibition and a silent auction, 6 to 9 p.m. The museum will also honor former Gov. Ed Rendell for his service to the arts. Visit sqart.org.

Music & Wine Fest
June 11-12: Listen to national and local recording artists at Fort Hunter Park, 5300 N. Front St., Harrisburg, 3 to 9 p.m. Sample wine from some of central Pennsylvania’s top wineries and visit with craft and food vendors. Bring your lawn chairs and picnic baskets. Tickets are $30 in advance, $40 at the door. Visit dauphincounty.org.

Garden and Art Tour
June 12: Perry County Council of the Arts and Perry County Master Gardeners will host the Country Garden and Art Tour, 1 to 6 p.m. Enjoy the sights and smells of Perry County gardens, learn gardening tricks and view local artwork. Tour books serve as tickets and are $10 in advance, $12 the day of the tour. Visit perrycountyarts.org or extension.psu.edu/cumberland.

“First Pennsylvanians”
June 12: Historical Society of Dauphin County will host a presentation with Kurt Carr, archaeologist and author of “First Pennsylvanians,” at John Harris-Simon Cameron Mansion, 219 S. Front St., Harrisburg, 2:30 p.m. Admission is $5; Historical Society members are free. Visit dauphincountyhistory.org.

Italian Lake Concert
June 12: Listen to the sounds of Rachel B. during the first of three summer concerts at Italian Lake in Harrisburg. The concert begins at 6 p.m. and is sponsored by Harrisburg Young Professionals. More information is at hyp.org.

Railroad Information
June 14: National Railway Historical Society Harrisburg Chapter will host “Information and the Railroad Industry,” an illustrated talk with J. Alex Lang, at Hoss’s Restaurant, 743 Wertzville Rd., Enola. Business meeting and speaker begin at 7 p.m., with a meal available as early as 5 p.m. Call 717-439-9744 or email [email protected].

PA Author Lunchtime Lecture
June 15: The State Library of Pennsylvania will host Wade Fowler, journalist and local author of “Rising Sun Descending,” during its Pennsylvania Authors Lunchtime Lecture Series beginning at 12 p.m., Room 321 of the Forum building, 607 South Dr., Harrisburg. Contact librarian Ellen Shenk at 783-5969 or [email protected].

Jazz Camp
June 15-18: The 2016 Central PA Jazz Camp will be held at Messiah College, 1 College Ave., Mechanicsburg, for students 10 to 21. Saxophonist and educator Steve Wilson and vibraphonist Stefon Harris will head the faculty of the four-day camp, which will feature a concert on Friday evening with Wilson and Harris, as well as a student concert on Saturday evening. Visit friendsofjazz.org.

3rd in The Burg
June 17: 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.

Ask a Lawyer
June 17: Lawyers from the Dauphin County Bar Association’s “Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts” program will have an “Ask-A-Lawyer” table at City House Bed & Breakfast, 915 N. Front St., Harrisburg, for 3rd in the Burg, 6 to 9 p.m. The VLA program provides free legal services to qualifying local artists and non-profit organizations. Come and meet a lawyer!

Civil War Days
June 17-19: Immerse yourself in local history during a three-day event focused on the Harrisburg area’s role in the Civil War. Go on a battlefield tour, visit a re-enactor encampment and enjoy socials, among other activities. A full roster of events is at the Facebook page: Civil War Days in Harrisburg.

River Sojourn
June 17-19: Susquehanna Greenway Partnership’s annual Susquehanna River Sojourn is a three-day, 46-mile canoe and kayak trip along the North Branch of the Susquehanna River from Shickshinny to Sunbury. Join the sojourn for one day or all three. Daily registration is $65 for adults, $33 for children under 12. Visit SusquehannaGreenway.org.

Brewers Fest
June 18: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Central Pennsylvania will host its 13th Annual Harrisburg Brewers Fest from 12 to 3:30 p.m. and 5 to 8:30 p.m. at Locust and N. 3^rd streets. The $50 ticket price includes beer samples, a collector’s sampling mug and live entertainment. Food concessions will also be available. Visit harrisburgbrewersfest.com.

Digital Security
June 22: West Shore Chamber of Commerce and West Shore Young Professionals present “Staying Secure in Today’s Digital World,” at the Coliseum MegaPlex/What If…West, Camp Hill, 7:30 to 9 a.m. An expert panel will cover topics like information security, payment processing, HIPAA and fraud. Visit wschamber.org for more.

Celebrate Diversity
June 23: Join the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC for a “Celebrate Diversity” reception at the State Museum of Pennsylvania, 300 North St., Harrisburg, 5:15 to 7 p.m. For more information, visit harrisburgregionalchamber.org.

Foreign Film Friday
June 24: Join Fredricksen Library for “The Iran Job,” a film about an American basketball player who accepts a job to play in Iran. Two showings are scheduled for 2 and 7 p.m. Not recommended for viewers under 17. Visit fredricksenlibrary.org.

Founders’ Day
June 25: Historical Society of Dauphin County will host Founders’ Day at the Harris-Cameron Mansion, 219 S. Front St., Harrisburg, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The outdoor festival is free and open to the public and will feature Revolutionary War encampments, food vendors and children’s activities. For more details, visit dauphincountyhistory.org.

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