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.

No Kids? No Chocolate? No Problem! What’s a grown-up to do in Hershey?

May 31, 2016 | by Ellen Perlman

Tröeg’s Independent Brewing

It’s a town famous for children and chocolate.

So, I asked myself, “What would a grown-up do for an entire weekend in Hershey?” Then I set to find out.

The answer, as it turned out, was “a lot.” Over the course of two days, I packed in a brewery tour, a wine tasting and a massage. I visited an antique car museum and outlet stores.

The weekend did not lack for kiddies and candy. Both were everywhere. But there’s much more to a visit to the town that Milton Hershey built than accompanying screaming teens on rollercoasters or drooling over candy bars at Chocolate World.

Tranquil State

I began my adult-only weekend on a relaxing note—a massage at The Hotel Hershey. These spa services do not come cheap, but they include access to a fitness center, a quiet room and an aromatherapy room. In fact, when I checked in, I was told, “Feel free to enjoy the spa for as long as you like. We’re open until 8 p.m. tonight.”

If you insist!

I turned my hour-long massage into a three-hour indulgence, starting with a leisurely backstroke in the hotel pool under skylights I used to mark my distance to the wall. I de-stressed further with 15 minutes in the whirlpool. Only then did I make my way to my appointment, already relaxed instead of my usual—rushing from my car and arriving in a nick of time.

When the treatment was over, I floated in a Zen, post-massage state to the quiet room overlooking the hotel’s back gardens, joining others wearing butter-yellow robes just like mine.

I served myself peppermint tea and a chocolate chip muffin before sinking my tranquil self into a chair and picking up my Kindle to read a book. Nothing disrupted the peace. Not the people whispering to each other, not the sound of trail mix dropping into little plastic cups—and certainly not the chirping birds outside.

My next move was a rookie mistake. Realizing I had about an hour before meeting friends at the CrossWinds Winery, I decided to squeeze in a quick visit to the Tanger Outlets off Hershey Park Drive.

That revved me right back up as I scrambled to try on clothes and then, realizing I was running late, bolted out. Luckily, a tasting of five wines for $5 had a calming effect. As I slowed down again, sipping Rieslings, a Chambourcin and more, owner Linda Jansen happened in, chatting with the winery’s staff and visitors.

Jansen and her husband Ed have been winery owners for about a year, she said, and the experience has “been awesome.” The couple actually began growing grapes for others more than two decades ago but never expected to open a winery.

“Things just kind of fell into place,” she said.

It was a delight sampling the fruits of their labor, while listening to Jansen tell the story of how they happened on a house just outside Hershey that became their tasting room, allowing them to go from grape vendors to wine-sellers.

Autos & Ales

Our mellow winery visit served as a cocktail hour before dinner at The Mill, a four-level establishment in a red-brick building dating to 1880 that used to be a grain warehouse.

If I didn’t notice the building’s convenient location next to railroad tracks when we parked, I was reminded soon enough when a train sped by out back while we were dining.

First, I saw it out the window. Then I noticed the overhead lamps flicker momentarily. It was an intriguing reminder of the importance of a century-old mill having a good location to receive and send goods.

I was just as happy to have the 21st-century conveniences of a car and dinner made to order, and I soon turned back to relishing my English fish pie and, after that, the gooey ice-cream-on-waffle concoction that the three of us shared.

The next day brought more grown-up adventures.

My friends and I met up in the morning at the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum for a two-hour stroll through car, bus and motorcycle history. The museum houses vehicles both familiar and exotic—from the bus seen in the 1994 movie “Forrest Gump” to an enormous 1968 Chevy Bel Air Stageway station wagon to a crashed-up Volkswagen Beetle sporting a big “53” on the front that had starred in the “The Love Bug” in 1968 and the 1974 sequel “Herbie Rides Again.”

Part of the museum’s permanent collection is the Cammack Tucker Gallery, home to cars and parts from the Tucker, a car many people learned about from a 1988 movie called, “Tucker: The Man and His Dream.”

A 5-year-old boy with a special connection to the brand was visiting, accompanied by his mother and uncle.

“The little boy right here is named for the Tucker car,” said Tasha Mangin, his mother. “His dad’s obsessed with it and his grandfather was, too. So we came to see it.”

She pointed out the special feature of the Tucker—its three headlights.

From the museum, we took a short drive to Tröeg’s Independent Brewing. I’d made reservations for a 2:30 p.m. brewery tour a couple of weeks earlier. With room for only 10 people per group, the tours fill quickly.

The tasting room has a beer-hall feel and sports several long, shared tables in its large space. We managed to find a place to sit during the busy Sunday lunch hour by hovering near a family with young children who were finishing up at a table for four. The mother did her best to clean up spilled Cheerios, straw papers and other debris before departing apologetically. Cheerful brewery staff came along quickly with a broom and cloths and finished off the rest.

Children at a brewery? Yep, plenty of them. Tröeg’s welcomes children, even provides a kid’s menu. Being adults, we chose from a list of very grown-up entrees like mushroom and parsnip tart and cast iron chicken and pheasant pie.

Tröeg’s doesn’t provide table service. So, we elbowed up to the bar and then walked over to the “Snack Bar” to order, carrying our food and drinks back to our newly clean table.

My friends each ordered a beer, while I ordered a three-beer sampler—a French-style saison, an amber ale and a bock. That let us try five different beers among the three of us. We finished our lunch just in time for the 45-minute guided tour that included another four tastings—“three nice and packaged and one of them right out of the tank,” our guide Mike said.

The tour was packed with information about making beer, and we peeked into the machinery, passed around jars of hops so we could smell different types and learned fun facts such as that 30 percent of Tröeg’s beer is kegged.

Every week, Tröeg’s also produces at least one “scratch beer series” beer for customers to taste and has now produced more than 240 of them. The company uses these small batches as a way to try out new ingredients and brewing techniques. Although the scratch beers I tried had names, they also were numbered—220, 222 and 227. In the gift store on the premises, I had fun creating a six-pack of scratch beer varieties to take with me.

Later on, driving home, I reflected on my adventure and realized that it may be impossible in a kiddie-ruled town like Hershey to have a true grown-up weekend. I couldn’t even escape the little guys in a brewery! But that’s OK. It was enough to learn that Hershey has plenty to do for the over-21 set, even if you first have to push aside a few old Cheerios to put down your beer.

Going There

In recent years, more places have popped up in and around Hershey that appeal to adults. Here are a few places where you can start your own grown-up journey.

The Spa at The Hotel Hershey, 100 Hotel Rd., Hershey: 844-330-1797, www.chocolatespa.com

CrossWinds Winery, 621 Hershey Rd., Hummelstown: 717-566-3050, www.crosswindswinery.com

The Mill in Hershey, 810 Old W. Chocolate Ave., Hershey: 717-256-9965, www.themillinhershey.com

Antique Automobile Club Museum of America, 161 Museum Dr., Hershey: 717-566-7100, www.aacamuseum.org

Tröeg’s Independent Brewing, 200 E. Hershey Park Dr., Hershey: 717-534-1297, www.troegs.com

Color for a Cause: How one family’s struggle inspired the biggest race in the midstate.

May 31, 2016 | by Cathy Jordan

Noelle and Nicole Karnash

It started with the joyful news of a baby.

Twenty years ago, Nicole and Stan Karnash called their family to announce the birth of a healthy, beautiful daughter, Noelle. Six months later, though, something didn’t seem quite right.

“Noelle wasn’t looking toward my voice anymore,” Nicole said. “As time went on, I noticed she became—floppy—and missed developmental milestones.”

The couple called their pediatrician, and Noelle was diagnosed as delayed. She received early intervention but wasn’t improving.

With a second baby in tow, Nicole took Noelle to more doctors.

Noelle’s head wasn’t growing at a regular rate, and, at 2 years old, she had picked up a repetitive hand movement, constantly darting from mouth to hair.

“Feeding her became a nightmare because her hands were always in her mouth,” said Nicole.

Nicole and Noelle visited umpteen specialists before a correct diagnosis was made. A doctor stared at Noelle and said, “That movement with her hands—it’s stereotypical of Rett Syndrome.” That was just the beginning.

Getting to Yes

Rett Syndrome, named after the Austrian physician who first described the neurological developmental disorder, is a rare genetic mutation.

Found on the X chromosome, it’s the most severe disorder on the autism spectrum. Characterized by developmental regression, slowed head growth, distinctive hand movements and seizures, the diagnosis was clinical until the gene was discovered in 1999.

Through Rettsyndrome.org, Nicole met Kristy Kramer, a local woman whose daughter also had the disorder. Together, they kicked off the first Strollathon—a 1-mile walk to raise money and awareness—at Harrisburg’s City Island. Since then, Nicole has led four Strollathons, three galas and three Color Runs raising more than $500,000 for Rett Syndrome.

Wait—the Color Run? Yes, Nicole Karnash brought this 5K—one of the biggest races in the country—to central PA.

While playing Bunco one night in 2013, a fellow player mentioned that she had just completed a 5K in Baltimore called the Color Run. It sounded fun and exciting, but Nicole wasn’t sure if they would team up with a charity.

She filled out a form on their website, and they replied, saying that, even though they’re a for-profit organization, they prefer to partner with charities. The charity is paid for volunteers, keeps all sponsor donations and fees, and is eligible to receive money from ticket sales.

Nicole, along with the regional race director for the Color Run, visited the Farm Show complex, HACC, City Island and the Parkview Golf Course in Hershey (now a PIAA cross-country course). They settled on the latter because the adjacent Giant Center had the largest parking accommodations. Hershey, however, was concerned about traffic and the mess from colored cornstarch being thrown about the cross-country course. Ultimately, Hershey said yes, and Nicole’s real efforts began.

Towards a Cure

Starting from scratch, Nicole needed everything—sponsors, publicity, promotion. She also needed at least 200 volunteers for race day to work the gates, check in runners, hand out packets, throw color and toss prizes. Along the way, she had to continue explaining what a Color Run was and what Rett Syndrome was about. She heard the same question from Hershey, her sponsors and her volunteers: Would the tickets sell?

Sales opened, and the run sold out in seven days to 10,000 runners. They added Sunday, which sold out three weeks later to another 10,000.

“I didn’t expect that,” Nicole says.

She laughs.

“I had to be there Saturday morning at 4:30 a.m. with the Color Run people,” she says. “I remember, as the sun was coming up, a gazillion Port-a-Potties arrived on trucks, and then all these people started trickling in.”

She was determined to make the run handicapped accessible. Noelle communicates only through eye-gaze and is locked in a body that won’t allow her to express her needs. Despite needing 24-hour care, she is still a happy, sociable young woman. She enjoys outdoor strolls in her wheelchair, swimming, going to movies and music. However, as Noelle has gotten older, her body has outgrown the kiddie rides and children’s activities she enjoys.

“Fundraising has been the avenue where our family really connects,” said Nicole. “There are so few things we are able to do together, as a family, with a disabled child. We all went tubing over the summer. Oh…it was so hard, but worth every effort!”

After the race, the Color Run guys brought all the girls with Rett Syndrome on stage in their wheelchairs. Nicole addressed the crowd about how the money raised is helping to achieve breakthroughs, including the cure of Rett Syndrome in mice.

Sadly, that following January, Kristy and her family were killed in a car accident in Pittsburgh. Their deaths—and the tragic loss of her mentor—hit Nicole hard. Though stunned, she persevered in her efforts to carry on with a second Color Run. A third event will be held this month.

Charities have called Nicole, asking her what she did to raise so much money. The answer is simple—she has a passion called family. She took her passion to a degree she didn’t anticipate and has no doubt that, one day, she will receive a phone call and hear someone say, “We found a cure.”

The Color Run takes places June 4 and 5 at the Giant Center in Hershey. For more information, visit https://thecolorrun.com/locations/hershey-pa.

To learn more about Rett Syndrome or to make a donation, visit www.rettsyndrome.org.

Dino Fun: Prehistoric beasts are invading downtown Harrisburg–bringing the humans with them.

May 31, 2016 | by Rebecca Oken

Dinosaurs have taken over downtown!

Don’t worry—it’s not “Jurassic Park” come true. It’s just a fun, artsy way to attract people to downtown Harrisburg this summer.

A range of businesses and local organizations has sponsored a total of 30 dinosaur sculptures, some of them eight feet tall, for “Dino-mite Summer.” They’ve partnered with artists to create unique designs for the dinos—a prehistoric reincarnation of 2004’s CowParade, if you will.

“The genesis of the idea was to give people another reason to come downtown given all the negative press about parking and other perception issues,” said Ron Kamionka, the mad scientist behind the project and owner of several 2^nd Street bars and clubs.

Earlier this year, downtown business owners and officials came together and pinpointed past events in Harrisburg and other cities that have been popular. Whitaker Center’s CowParade and the Downtown Improvement District’s past First Friday concerts both drew people into Harrisburg, and outdoor art exhibits are common during the summer in many cities.

But why dinosaurs? Stamford, Conn., and Pittsburgh have successfully run similar dinosaur-themed summer festivals in recent years. Plus, they’re fun and family-friendly.

“We wanted to pick statues that would appeal to kids, families, the arts community,” Kamionka said. “It seemed like a base that appealed to many groups.”

Starting this month, look for dino sculptures of all kinds in the area from Market to Pine streets and Front to 3^rd streets.

Sponsorships were $2,500, which covered the $300 artist honorarium and the costs of the sculptures, their bases and all other supplies. A portion of the sponsorship, plus any other money raised throughout the summer, will go to Shalom House, a shelter for women and children on Allison Hill.

Dino-mite Summer will be more than just sculptures of the prehistoric reptiles. Kamionka has partnered with Harrisburg Young Professionals and Park Harrisburg for free concerts on the roof of the River Street Garage on the first Friday of June, July and August. The Wailers, a reggae band once fronted by Bob Marley, will be the first to play.

Second Saturdays—all-ages events that will shut down a block or two of 2^nd Street—are also being held in conjunction with HYP. June’s event, “Prehistoric Putt Putt,” will feature an 18-hole golf tournament with prizes for different age groups.

And the dino-fun just continues:

A big-screen showing of each installment of “Jurassic Park” will be held on Tuesday evenings in June.
Lunchtime events, such as a block party and a fair, will be held each fourth Thursday of the month for the commuter crowd.
A sidewalk carnival, a jazz and arts festival and a special dinosaur-themed beer (thanks to the Brewery at Hershey) are all planned.

“We’re very proud of our downtown,” said Ralph Vartan, an HYP board member and CEO of Vartan Group, which owns property downtown. “HYP people love Harrisburg, and I think we’re a little bit honored that Ron thinks enough of HYP to bring us into the loop.”

The city also is on board.

“Dino-mite Summer is bringing a whole new attraction to downtown Harrisburg,” said Devan Drabik, Harrisburg’s director of business development. “We wanted to give people something new and exciting to do downtown and something that they can enjoy while they’re visiting their favorite restaurant. It’s just a great way to spend the whole day here in Harrisburg and see all that we have to offer.”

Brad Jones, president and CEO of Harristown Enterprises, also saw the potential of Dino-mite to open people’s eyes to what Harrisburg has to offer. Harristown, which owns Strawberry Square, is sponsoring a strawberry-clad “farmer” T-Rex painted by Andy Nardone. It’s on display on Market Street.

“It will be well-timed with all the other exciting things going in the Square,” Jones said.

Once Dino-mite Summer ends post-Labor Day, sponsors can keep the statues, auction them off or donate them to the city. But just because summer’s over doesn’t mean the momentum will stop.

“This is a multi-year commitment on our part to make sure that we keep building,” Kamionka said.

Even though a lot of the planning fell on him and his staff this year, Kamionka has already noticed interest from others in getting involved. He envisions the development of an independent committee for planning large-scale downtown programs like Dino-mite.

Drabik was also positive about the continued excitement around Dino-mite Summer.

“I hope that this does gain momentum, and this is just the first of many fun summer campaigns,” she said. “I’m interested to hear what everybody’s feedback is.”

For more information about Dino-mite Summer, including a schedule of events, visit www.dinomitesummer.com.

The Simple Life: A visit with an Amish family puts a break on the rat race.

May 31, 2016 | by Gina Napoli

Over the last decade, I have lived among the Amish. That is—I’ve stayed at authentic Amish bed & breakfasts in Lancaster County for one weekend each year.

Why?

My fascination with their lifestyle runs deep, perhaps satisfying the part of me that secretly wishes to disengage from my fast-paced life, at least for a little while.

Ironically, my trips start through the most modern of technologies—the Internet. The Amish, of course, are not on the web, but you can book through a third party. I find my hosts through a site called “Amish Farm Stay.”

After booking, you’ll need to make some other concessions to your tech-infused existence, but, hey, that’s part of the experience, right? For instance, the Amish usually don’t have phones in their houses, but in booths at the end of their driveways, which means that doing business directly with them is on a time-delay. Then there’s the fact that innkeepers don’t accept credit cards.

But these are just small bumps in the road, and you may quickly realize, as I do each year, how much modern technology has invaded every aspect of your life.

Modest and Cozy

Though each yearly trip has its nuances, the weekends follow a familiar pattern, much like a quilt.

Once we turn the Jeep on to the winding driveway, a mood settles overhead that is decidedly calmer than the traffic on Route 30. A cloud of dust rises from the driveway, already signaling readjusted expectations.

The dog greets us first. He sniffs until satisfied we are good people.

Then the kids peek from hiding places, their barefoot steps tentative, their hair straight as hay. A little girl points at me and asks a question about my lipstick, clothes or wild hair. An older brother shushes her.

My mother asks them 100 nosy questions. No one dares shush her.

Finally, our hosts appear from the sprawling farmhouse, carrying baskets and babies. They are kind, yet guarded.

I always ask the innkeeper if my mom and I can visit their church. They always politely decline, explaining that the every-other-week service is said in High German.

An older boy takes our bags to a modest guesthouse, separate from the main house. With the exception of the family’s house, we may roam the farm unescorted.

The barn holds antique farm equipment almost as dusty as the driveway. Horse gear is near one small buggy. How do they fit all those kids in there? After a decade of visits, we haven’t figured this out.

The animals we encounter are friendly. At least, they are tolerant and not attacking us. Sheep, cows, horses, chickens and goats chomp rows of farmland. Dogs and cats eat the farm animals’ feed. They aren’t sneaky about it, either. If we’re lucky, we see baby versions of the animals. (Once, we saw a calf being born!) The Amish don’t name their animals. They are commodities, so they don’t get attached.

Close to the barn, we see laundry drying on a clothesline. A hand-wringer clothes washer and water pump are nearby. An efficient pulley system spins approved fabric colors: maroon, light blue, green, black.

When I see store-bought underwear and socks, I remind myself that Amish believe in practical living, which doesn’t dictate that everything be homemade. To align with their simplicity value, they choose the least expensive option.

Amish don’t believe in wires, keeping them off the grid. Most of their gas-powered appliances run off batteries or a noisy generator housed in an outbuilding.

Our guesthouse is another of the farm’s many outbuildings. Modest and cozy, it is filled with quilts, woodworking and cross-stich samplers. I am grateful for the family’s belief in indoor plumbing and for providing one electrical outlet hidden somewhere in the house.

When evening comes, my agri-tourist excitement comes alive. TV and Twitter don’t exist here. We walk winding country lanes, look at stars and listen to crickets chirp. We build a fire. We turn on a kerosene lamp to read.

When that fun is done, we go to sleep by 8 p.m.

Peaceful Ambience

Guests are invited to help with farm chores, beginning at 4 a.m. I don’t partake because the only way I’m up that early is if I’m still awake from the night before.

At dawn, sunlight begins to stream into the windows, seemingly earlier than in my own bedroom at home. By 8 o’clock, Saturday morning breakfast is delivered, consisting of unpasteurized eggs, coffee cake, raw milk, farm-fresh butter, strawberry preserves and homemade bread and yogurt.

Generously, our hosts have saved us a few morning chores to do. We gather eggs, feed animals and milk other animals. The kids are pros, showing us exactly how to extract milk from an udder.

We decide to visit downtown Ronks, Pa., to see our Amish neighbors at work and to do some shopping. We find stores for furniture, crafts, quilts, buggies and farmers markets. We also see the town blacksmith, horse dealer and a one-room schoolhouse.

We wander into a general store. I muse that I could put together an Amish outfit out of straight pins and fabric. For a moment, I imagine myself in a bonnet, but put it down when my inner voice reminds me that culture is not a costume.

We return to the guesthouse and discover the guest book. Past guests regale its pages with gratitude for their innkeepers taking them shopping or to an auction. Mom says, “You probably have to help them with 4 a.m. chores to get invited.”

She and I enjoy a second night of peaceful farm ambience, gazing over meadows. No telephone poles or electric wires spoil our view. When we can’t see outside anymore, there’s nothing like watching flames eat logs through the window of a wood stove. The sizzling doesn’t compete with other noise. (Unless A/C is optional for you, Amish B&Bs are best in fall, winter or spring.)

No breakfast is delivered on Sunday mornings. The Amish honor the Sabbath. It is time for us to leave.

If you stay in Amish country with non-Amish hosts, chances are they know an Amish family willing to host you for a meal, buggy ride or farm tour. Otherwise, a quick Internet search can help you out.

And, if you find an innkeeper who agrees to take you to church, call me.

Bunking with the Amish

Would you like to enjoy your own weekend close by, but away from it all? Here’s where to start researching a mini-vacation in Amish country.

Amish Farm Stay: www.amishfarmstay.com

Discover Lancaster: www.discoverlancaster.com

Buggy Rides: www.aisforamishbuggyrides.com

Cheese Choice: An Italian cheese for every mood, every season.

May 31, 2016 | by Rosemary Ruggieri Baer

Marcella Hazan, the high priestess of classic Italian cooking, once said that she had never spent a day in her entire adult life without a hunk of Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan cheese) in her refrigerator.

I suspect that my mother, Rose, would have been able to say the same thing. She and my father regularly bought a big wedge of Parmesan at whatever Italian grocery store they could get to at the time (Harrisburg once had its share of them), wrapped it carefully in several layers of waxed paper, foil and plastic, and chipped off chunks as needed. My mother always used freshly grated cheese for cooking, especially for her pasta and meatballs. That green canister of Kraft grated cheese never made it into our house.

Lately, I have been experimenting with different types of grating cheeses. Known as the Italian “grana cheeses,” they differ relative to sharpness, saltiness, consistency and moisture content. But each one is special in its own way and offers something a little different from traditional Parmesan.

Parmigiano Reggiano (the “real Parmesan”) and Grana Padano share the same origin: the fertile Po River Valley in northern Italy. Both of these are made from cow’s milk and are hard grating cheeses. However, Grana Padano has a more subtle taste and is less salty than Parmesan. More of it is produced, and so you will find it to be less expensive.

Pecorino cheese, most commonly sold in this country as Pecorino Romano (or just “Romano”), has a very distinctive taste. It can be salty, requiring an adjustment in the amount of other salt added to a recipe, and is usually described as a “robust” cheese. I substituted it once for Parmesan in my meatballs and my family noticed! Lou Di Palo, owner of the famous Di Palo’s Italian grocery store in lower Manhattan, says that, at one time or another, he has handled more than 100 varieties of Pecorino in his store. Unlike Parmesan and Grana Padano, Pecorino Romano is a sheep’s milk cheese.

Asiago and Piave are two types of what are known as the Italian mountain cheeses. These young cheeses may be aged as little as 20 to 30 days compared to some of the 36-month-old aged Parmesans. They are softer and easier to grate. I like them both and use them in salads, pastas and vegetables.

Years ago, in one of my first columns for TheBurg, I wrote about my mother’s meatballs. I am still making them and thought it was time to share the recipe again. It can be doubled or even tripled depending on need. Try using different grating cheeses from time to time. All of the ones mentioned above are good to try.

First, some important notes about making meatballs:

Buy the freshest cheese you can find. A dried-out, shrink-wrapped piece of old Parmesan is not your best bet.
Grate your cheese right before using. A box grater is fine but a food processer works, too.
Add as much cheese to the meatball recipe as you like. My mother always fried a little bit of meat first to check if more cheese or salt was needed. I do, too.
Save the cheese rind! It adds a wonderful taste to a simmering pot of soup like minestrone or pasta fagioli.
Add any leftover grated cheese to mashed potatoes, a green salad, crostini or rice.

Rosemary’s Meatballs

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds of ground beef (I use ground sirloin, although many Italian cooks choose ground chuck, believing its fattiness provides more flavor.)
½ cup finely chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
½ cup finely chopped sweet onion
¾ cup grated cheese (Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, Asiago, Piave or Grana Padano)
1 to 2 eggs, depending on size, lightly beaten
½ cup breadcrumbs (dried or freshly ground white bread)
Milk, cream or half-and-half, just enough to bind the whole mixture together (I eyeball this—not too wet and not too dry.)
¾ teaspoon each of salt and pepper

Directions

Mix all of the above ingredients together. Use a fork and a light hand to avoid compressing the meat.
Place about ½ cup olive oil in a skillet (I use non-stick) and heat it until shimmering. When I make meatballs, I watch the heat very carefully and turn it down if I see that the meat is getting too brown.
Fry a baby meatball first. Then adjust for salt and cheese as needed. I no longer have a little boy standing on a chair next to me waiting to taste, but I never miss this step.
Roll the meat mixture into balls, sizing them to your liking. Mine are about 1 to 1 ¼ inch in diameter.
Place them in the skillet and press down on each one slightly to ensure even cooking.
When browned on all sides, remove the meatballs to a serving dish and keep warm. Sometimes, I serve them just like this, and other times I drop them into simmering spaghetti sauce.
Serve them with pasta and your best red sauce or make delicious meatball subs.

I hope you venture out a little into the world of real Italian cheeses and give some new ones a try. And, I know it’s summer. But meatballs truly are a food for all seasons!

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