Support Structure: Bailey House offers a home away from home for loved ones of hospital patients.

March 31, 2016 | by Priscilla Morales

Catherine Moussa, Bailey House coordinator.

Coming from Wilkes-Barre, it didn’t make sense for Tiffany Piech to travel an hour and 40 minutes to and from Harrisburg when visiting her sick friend at Harrisburg Hospital.

So, Piech stayed two blocks away at Bailey House, a Washington Street residence that houses friends and family of seriously ill patients. It was a perfect solution for Piech, who could visit with her friend, hospitalized with pneumonia, every day without burning out her car.

“The nurses told me about the Bailey House,” said Piech. “I found it to be clean and beautiful.”

PinnacleHealth established Baily House in 1987 and, since then, more than 9,300 people have stayed there. It’s named after Mrs. Charles L. Bailey, who was the first president of the Harrisburg Hospital Auxiliary.

Upon her arrival, Piech said that Catherine Moussa, Bailey House coordinator, warmly welcomed her.

“Catherine’s a sweetheart,” Piech said. “She was polite and friendly while preparing coffee and breakfast every morning. [The experience] was better than expected. The Bailey House has all the necessities, so I can just sleep and shower, while having less to think about. It helps keep the stress off.”

Bailey House actually consists of two adjoining buildings, which together can house up to seven families. The facility underwent extensive renovations last year. The living space was made cozier and more inviting, a bathroom was added, a kitchen upgraded and the interior design was refreshed. Guests stay free of charge, including all amenities like Internet, television and puzzles and games.

Baily House is run by a nonprofit board, which assists in seeing that the facility operates smoothly and guests are able to relax and take care of themselves between hospital visits, especially young mothers visiting their newborns in the NICU.

Because it doesn’t charge, Bailey House seeks help from volunteers, donations and fundraisers. In fact, most of the furniture brought in during the recent renovation was donated. Events like annual holiday tributes and fashion shows provide other means of support. Brochures and a Web presence help spread the word.

Opening Up

Families of patients who live at least 25 miles away are eligible to stay from one night to a few months at a time, on a first-come, first-served basis. Because the walk to the hospital is so short, guests typically don’t have parking or security concerns

Between hospital visits, guests can take time to rest and collect themselves before returning to see their loved ones. Moussa said that, while staying at Bailey House, families often open up to her and to each other, sharing their experiences. Bonding in this way has transformed these individual families into one, she said.

“I provide emotional support,” said Moussa. “I’m someone who they can let go of their day with.”

Although the families often are experiencing tough times, Moussa tries to turn difficult situations into less trying ones. In some cases, families have kept connected over the years after their stay.

Piech, for one, says she now feels part of the extended Bailey House family.

“I want to make a donation,” she said, expressing appreciation for her home away from home. “[Bailey House] is something I highly recommend. It’s a very nice facility.”

For more information on Bailey House and participation in fundraisers and volunteer opportunities, please visit www.pinnaclehealth.org.

Happenings: Our April Calendar of Events

March 31, 2016 | by TheBurg Editor

Museum & Art Spaces

3rd Street Studio
1725 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
Facebook: 3^rd Street Studio

“Creepy Crawlers,” featuring imaginative acrylic, ink and graphite works by Sean Arce, through May 20; closing reception: April 15, 6-9 p.m.

AACA Museum
161 Museum Dr., Hershey
717-566-7100; aacamuseum.org

“It’s a Small World: Micro & Mini Cars,” through April 22.

“Pioneers in African-American Auto History,” through April 30.

“Pinstriping & Automotive Art” by HotRod Jen, through May 31.

“Mods vs. Rockers,” motorcycles and scooters, through Oct. 29.

Art Association of Harrisburg
21 N. Front St., Harrisburg
717-236-1432; artassocofhbg.com

“5 Artist Invitational,” with Claire Giblin, Aron Johnston, M. Tinnin Portwood, Paul Saberin and Gene Suchma, April 8-May 12; reception: April 8, 5-8 p.m.

BrainVessel Gallery
4707 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg
717-350-2306; www.bvcargo.com

“Anatomy of the Engine,” featuring the paintings and drawings of Casey Halls, April 22-June 11; receptions: April 22 & April 23, 7-10 p.m.

The Cornerstone Coffeehouse
2133 Market St., Camp Hill
717-737-5026; thecornerstonecoffeehouse.com

Artist of the Month: Joan Marie Donavan

Gallery@Second
608 N. 2^nd St., Harrisburg
717-233-2498; galleryatsecond.com

“Works by Nance Huerter and Chris Lyter, through April 30.

The Hershey Story Museum
63 W. Chocolate Ave., Hershey
717-534-8939; hersheystory.org

“Chocolate Workers Wanted,” life in Hershey’s chocolate factory from 1905 to 1925, through spring 2016.

Landis House
Perry County Council of the Arts
67 N. 4th St., Newport
717-567-7023; perrycountyarts.org

“Interior,” an exploration of physical, emotional, sculptural and pictorial aspects of interior space through sculptures and paintings by Brian and Naomi Menkis, through May 7.

Little Amps Coffee Roasters, Downtown
133 State St., Harrisburg
717-635-9870; littleampscoffee.com

“Inchoate/Afterglow,” photographic works by Caleb Smith and Lisa Bennett, through April; reception with artists, April 15, 5-7 p.m.

Metropolis Collective
17 W. Main St., Mechanicsburg
717-458-8245; Facebook: Metropolis Collective

“Hard Boiled,” an art tribute to pulp novels and B movies, through April 30.

“Obsession,” featuring the artwork of Jeremiah Johnson, April 1-May 28; reception: April 1, 6-11 p.m.

National Civil War Museum
One Lincoln Circle, Harrisburg
717-260-1861; nationalcivilwarmuseum.org

“The Life and Times of Congressman Robert Smalls,” the story of a man born into slavery, who later rose to the U.S. Congress, through June 2016.

“Tell Mother I’ve Been Good: Vice & Virtue in the Civil War,” illustrating the moral challenges faced by thousands of men in the ranks, through Dec. 31.

Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art
176 Water Company Rd., Millersburg
717-692-3699; nedsmithcenter.org

“The Hidden Works of Jay N. ‘Ding’ Darling,” featuring personal works of the pioneering conservationist and cartoonist, through June 18.

PCCA Gallery
Perry County Council of the Arts
1 S. 2nd St., Newport
perrycountyarts.org

“Stories of Individual Struggles and Personal Growth,” featuring relief paintings and sculptures by Evgeny Krayushkin (ZheKa), through April 2.

“Duets,” an exhibition of artwork featuring 10 pairs of collaborating artists,” April 8-June 4; reception: April 8, 6-8:30 p.m.

Rose Lehrman Art Gallery
One HACC Dr., Harrisburg
717-780-2435; hacc.edu

“Student Honors Show 1,” April 8-April 20; reception: April 14, 5:30-7 p.m.

“Student Honors Show 2,” April 25-May 6; reception: April 28, 5:30-7 p.m.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania
300 North St., Harrisburg
717-787-4980; statemuseumpa.org

“Pennsylvania Modern, A Juried Photography Exhibition of Midcentury Modern Architecture,” honoring iconic and modern architecture, extended through April 24.

“2016 South Central Pennsylvania Scholastic Art Awards,” through April 28.

“National History Day in Pennsylvania,” highlighting a year-long classroom program that engages students in hands-on historical research and exploration based on the 2016 theme “Exploration, Encounter & Exchange,” through May 1.

Susquehanna Art Museum
1401 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-233-8668; sqart.org

“New Light: The Pennsylvania Impressionists, Highlights from the Woodmere Art Museum Collection,” through May 22.

Whitaker Center/The Curved Wall
222 Market St., Harrisburg
717-214-ARTS; whitakercenter.org

“Art Center Instructor Exhibition,” featuring the work of Art Center School and Galleries, Mechanicsburg, instructors, through April 1.

Wildwood Park
100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg
717-221-0292; wildwoodlake.org

“Art in the Wild,” a nature inspired outdoor art exhibition, with installations mostly including natural materials, April 9-Oct. 31.

WITF – Atrium Gallery
4801 Lindle Rd., Harrisburg
717-704-3000; witf.org

“Foundations,” works of photography by Michael Hower, through April 14.

Yellow Bird Café
1320 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-635-8991; yellowbird-cafe.com

The artwork of Kyle Baskin, through April 11

Works by Ann Yeager Lawson, April 13-May 18

Read, Make, Learn

The Cornerstone Coffeehouse
2133 Market St., Camp Hill
717-737-5026; thecornerstonecoffeehouse.com

April 8: “Tuscan Food and Wine Pairing,” 6:30-9:30 p.m.
April 13: “Superfast Entrees,” 6-9 p.m.
April 22: “Tuscan Food and Wine Pairing,” 6:30-9:30 p.m.
April 28: “Fresh Fish and Sauces,” 6-9 p.m.

Fredricksen Library
100 N 19th St., Camp Hill
717-761-3900; fredricksenlibrary.org

April 1: Youth Chess Night, 6:30 p.m.
April 4: Fredricksen Writes, 6:45 p.m.
April 5: Curl Up With the Classics—“Great Expectations,” 1 p.m.
April 8: Foreign Film Friday—“Two Days, One Night,” 2 p.m., 7 p.m.
April 11: Twisted Stitchers, 6:30 p.m.
April 12: Teen Artists’ Meet-up, 7 p.m.
April 15: Family Movie Night, 6:30 p.m.
April 19: Fredricksen Reads, 7 p.m.
April 19: “Gardening with Nature: Shade Lovers Supreme,” 7 p.m.
April 21: Kids and Companions Book Club, 6:30 p.m.
April 27: Adventure Crafts, 4:30 p.m.

Healthy Living Kitchen
16 S. Rosanna St., Hummelstown
717-512-0077; healthylivingkitchenpa.com

April 7, 14: Clean Eating Detox Series & Cooking Class
April 21: Cooking With Leafy Greens

The Hershey Story
63 West Chocolate Ave., Hershey
717-534-8939; hersheystory.org

April 1-30: Chocolate Lab Classes
April 1-30: Tastings—Chocolate from Around the World

The LBGT Center of Central PA
1306 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-920-9534; centralpalgbtcenter.org

April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30: Weekly Meditation Practice, 11 a.m.
April 3, 10, 17, 24: Alcoholics Anonymous, 12 p.m.
April 3, 10, 17, 24: Common Roads Young Adults, 4 p.m.
April 6, 13, 20, 27: Common Roads Youth, 6 p.m.
April 14: Aging with Pride Lunchtime Discussion, 12 p.m.
April 19: Women’s Group, 6 p.m.

Messiah College School of Art
One College Ave., Mechanicsburg
717-766-2511; messiah.edu

April 7-9: “The Tender Land”

Midtown Scholar Bookstore-Café
1302 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-236-1680; midtownscholar.com

April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: Nathaniel Gadsden’s Spoken Word Café, 7 p.m.
April 2: Story Time w/Wildwood Park Staff, 11 a.m.
April 2: Good News Café, 6 p.m.
April 5, 19: Meet-Up, 9 a.m.
April 5: Sci-Fi Writer’s Group, 7 p.m.
April 6, 13, 20, 27: Midtown Chess Club, 11 a.m.
April 7, 14, 21, 28: Almost Uptown Poetry Cartel, 7 p.m.
April 9: Story Time & Book Release w/Mrs. Marbles, 11 a.m.
April 12: Dauphin County Young Democrats Meeting, 7 p.m.
April 14, 21: Camp Curtin Toastmasters, 6:30 p.m.
April 15: Coffee Tasting with Café Staff, 12 p.m.
April 15: Tea Tasting w/Café Staff, 2 p.m.
April 16: Coffee & Critique—Designer Workshop, 8:30 a.m.
April 17: Midtown Writer’s Group, 1 p.m.
April 17: LGBT Book Club, 5 p.m.
April 20: Sci Fi & Fantasy Book Club, 7 p.m.
April 24: Harrisburg Young Professionals Book Club, 2 p.m.
April 25: Feminism Book Club, 7 p.m.
April 26: Friends of Midtown Safety Committee, 6:30 p.m.

The Millworks
340 Verbeke St., Harrisburg
717-695-4888; millworksharrisburg.com

April 1-3: Abstract Painting 3-Day Workshop
April 9: “Letting Go!” Paint Night, 6:30-9:30 p.m.
April 10: Watercolor Poppy Painting Party, 1-4 p.m.
April 22-24: Cold Wax 3-Day Workshop, 6-9 p.m.
April 27: Make Art & Drink Tröegs , 6-9 p.m.

The Movement Center
2134 N. 2^nd St., Harrisburg
717-238-0357; themovementcenter.net

April 9: Open House free classes, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art
176 Water Company Rd., Millersburg
717-692-3699; nedsmithcenter.org

April 2: Cruisin’ the Cosmos: Spring Star Party, 7:30-10:30 p.m.
April 14: Fungi: the Good, the Bad, the Beautiful, 6-8 p.m.
April 30: Spring Bird Walk, 7:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

Perry County Council of the Arts, Landis House
67 N. 4th St., Newport
717-567-7023; perrycountyarts.org

April 2: Free Drop-in Art Class for Kids, 1-4 p.m.
April 9: A Novel Idea writing workshop, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
April 13: Introduction to Carving Soapstone, 6-8 p.m.
April 27: Soldered Cross Bracelet, 6-8:30 p.m.

Susquehanna Art Museum
1401 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-233-8668; sqart.org

April 2, 9, 30: Saturday Morning Art Club, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
April 2-May 7: Young Artist Camp, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Untitled: A Storytelling Project
untitledhbg.com

April 14: “Discovery” at Zeroday Brewing Co.

Wildwood Park
100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg
717-221-0292; wildwoodlake.org

April 2: “Leave No Trace” for Girl Scouts, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
April 3: “Beginner’s Yoga and Walk,” 10-11:30 a.m.
April 3: “Art in the Wild: Meet the Artists,” 1-3 p.m.
April 6: “Bird Walk: Early Migration,” 8-10 a.m.
April 7: “Art in the Wild” Lecture by Myth Makers, 7-8:30 p.m.
April 10: “Flower Walk,” 1:30-3 p.m.
April 13: “Stress Relief Walk,” 6-7 p.m.
April 16: “Environment Matters” for Junior Scouts 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Live Music Around Harrisburg

American Music Theatre
2425 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster
717-397-7700; amtshows.com

April 1-3: Celtic Woman
April 7: Straight No Chaser
April 9: Kansas w/Blue Oyster Cult

Appalachian Brewing Co./Abbey Bar
50 N. Cameron St., Harrisburg
717-221-1083; abcbrew.com

April 1: Juggling Suns
April 2: Beats of the Burg w/Plane Jaymes
April 8: John Brown’s Body
April 10: Dom Flemons
April 15: Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds
April 17: Project/Object w/Ike Willis
April 20: American Babies

Carley’s Ristorante and Piano Bar
204 Locust St., Harrisburg
717-909-9191; carleysristorante.com

April 1, 9, 15, 19: Noel Gevers
April 2, 12, 30: Corinna Joy
April 5: Maria Battista
April 6: Deborah Anderson
April 7, 21, 29: Jessica Perla
April 8, 22: Roy Lefever
April 10, 24, 28: Anthony Haubert
April 13: Marc Lubbers
April 14: Daniel Sheehan
April 16, 23: Ted Ansel
April 20: TBA
April 26: Christine Purcell
April 27: Sivart Lee

Central PA Friends of Jazz
friendsofjazz.org

April 3: Peter Bernstein Trio

Chameleon Club
223 N. Water St., Lancaster
717-299-9684; chameleonclub.net

April 1: Dr. Slothclaw, The Big Dirty, The Meadow Men
April 2: Box of Rain, ’68-‘74 Dead Tribute
April 5: Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown
April 6: Metal Allegiance
April 11: The Heavy Pets, The Magic Beans
April 16: Har Mar Superstar
April 17: Peter Murphy
April 19: Breaking Benjamin Unplugged
April 22: Jon Pardi
April 27: Cash’d Out, Tribute to Johnny Cash

The Cornerstone Coffeehouse
2133 Market St., Camp Hill
717-737-5026; thecornerstonecoffeehouse.com

April 1: Antonio Andrade
April 2: Maria Wilson
April 3: Steve Wilkins
April 8: Stephen Lee Rich
April 9: Paul Zavinksy
April 10: Kirk Wise
April 15: Jim Haas
April 16: Alex McQuade
April 17: We3
April 22: Kevin Kline
April 23: Seasons
April 24: Crimson
April 29: Dominick Cicco
April 30: Doug Morris

Grain + Verse Bottlehouse
148 Sheraton Dr., New Cumberland
717-317-3044; grainandverse.com

April 7: Shawan and the Wonton
April 14: Indian Summer Jars
April 21: Root 74 Acoustic
April 28: Mark DeRose

Gretna Music
Leffler Chapel and Performance Center, Elizabethtown College
717-361-1508; gretnamusic.org

April 12: Trio Valtorna

Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center (H*MAC)
1110 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-441-7506; harrisburgarts.com

April 1: First Friday w/Vetour Productions
April 2: The Dirty Sweet
April 7: The Blackberry Bushes Springband w/Colebrook Road
April 8: Genesis Lorraine w/ The Start
April 9: Humandala w/Yam Yam
April 15: Vita & The Woolf w/Super City
April 22: Terry Read w/Tony Ryder & True West
April 23: 91S
April 29: Colt Wilbur Band
Every Monday: Barcrawler Karaoke
Every Tuesday: Open Mic

Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra
The Forum at 5th and Walnut St., Harrisburg
717-545-5527; harrisburgsymphony.org

April 16-17: Masterworks 6
April 30: “And the Tony Goes to…”

Hershey Theatre
15 E. Caracas Ave., Hershey
717-534-3405; hersheytheatre.com

April 8: Hershey Symphony
April 14: “Let it Be,” Tribute to The Beatles
April 15-16: Brit Floyd
April 23: Hershey Symphony

Hollywood Casino
777 Hollywood Blvd., Grantville
717-469-2211; hollywoodprnc.com

April 1: Save the City
April 2: Funktion
April 8: The Luv Gods
April 9: Sapphire
April 15: Radio Neon
April 16: Amish Outlaws
April 22: Uptown Band
April 23: Smooth Like Clyde
April 29: Jumper
April 30: Lima Bean Riot

Johnny Joe’s Sports Bar & Grill
5327 E. Trindle Rd., Mechanicsburg
717-766-2254; johnnyjoesbar.com

April 2: Fith
April 6, 13, 20, 27: Walter DeWall
April 9: Observe the 93^rd
April 16: Colt Wilbur Band
April 23: Adrian Blitzer
April 30: TBA
Every Sunday: Open Mic Night

Landis House
Perry County Council of the Arts
67 N. 4th St., Newport
717-567-7023; perrycountyarts.org

April 10: Sunday Arts Hour w/Gary & Bernadette Boerckel

Little Amps Coffee Roasters, Downtown
133 State St., Harrisburg
717-635-9870; littleampscoffee.com

April 1: Allyot Ray
April 8: Carly Clark, Shawan and the Wonton
April 15: The Sydney Richardson Quinton
April 22: Shanna Rae
April 29: TBA

Little Amps Coffee Roasters, Uptown
1836 Green St., Harrisburg
717-695-4882; littleampscoffee.com

April 5: Hallowed Bells, WORT

Luhrs Performing Arts Center
1871 Old Main Dr., Shippensburg
717-477-7469; luhrscenter.com

April 10: Concert Band Spring Concert
April 17: Community Orchestra Spring Concert
April 21: Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers
April 23: Neil Sedaka

Majestic Theater
25 Carlisle St., Gettysburg
717-337-8200; gettysburgmajestic.org

April 3: Cherish the Ladies
April 15: Gettysburg College Symphony Orchestra

The MakeSpace
1916 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
hbgmakespace.com

March 5: Honduras, Seasonal, Prodigal Suns
March 8: The Receiver, Saint Brendan and the Navigators, Fly Overs

Market Square Concerts
marketsquareconcerts.org

April 6: Enso Quartet
April 23: Calefax Feed Quintet

Messiah College School of Arts
One College Ave., Mechanicsburg
717-766-2511; messiah.edu

April 3: Concert Choir and Chamber Singers
April 23: Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Winds
April 24: Choral Arts Society

Midtown Scholar Bookstore-Café
1302 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-236-1680; midtownscholar.com

April 23: Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra at the Little Scholar

The Mill in Hershey
810 Old West Chocolate Ave., Hershey
717-256-9965; themillinhershey.com

April 2: Sherri Mullen Duo
April 9: Soul House
April 16: Don Johnson Project
April 23: Dave Kelly Duo

The Millworks
340 Verbeke St., Harrisburg
717-695-4888; millworksharrisburg.com

April 3: Hodera w/Flower Garden
April 8: Lucy Dacus, Marathon & Wetherman
April 19: Author w/Infinite Me & Many Rooms

MoMo’s BBQ & Grille
307 Market St., Harrisburg
717-230-1030; momosbbqandgrill.com

April 1; Visitors Duo
April 9: Rhythm on Main
April 15: Unplugged w/Josh & Dan
April 16: Frank & Lauren
April 22: Christopher Dean

Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art
176 Water Company Rd., Millersburg
717-692-3699; nedsmithcenter.org

April 9: A Gallery Cabaret

River City Blues Club & Dart Room
819 S. Cameron St., Harrisburg
rivercityhbg.com

April 1-2: Bushmaster w/Gary Brown
April 2-3: Sabrina Duke Band
April 3: Open Jazz Jam
April 6: Acoustic Stew Open Jam
April 7, 14, 21, 28: Open Electric Jam
April 13: Blue Elephant Open Jam’
April 15: People’s Open Jam
April 17: Music For Murals
April 24: “La Playa” Miami Fusion Dance Party

Stock’s on 2^nd
211 N. 2nd Street, Harrisburg
717-233-6699; stocksonsecond.com

April 1: Josh Krevsky
April 2: A Perfect Storm
April 8: Keith Goldstein
April 9: Up Pops the Devil
April 15: Mitch Gregory
April 16: Visitors Duo
April 22: Shea and Swish
April 23: Music Thru Science Lite
April 29: Up Pops the Devil
April 30: Song Smith

Strand Capitol Performing Arts Center
50 N. George St., York
717-846-1111; mystrandcapitol.org

April 1: Jazz in the City
April 2: York Symphony Orchestra
April 16: The Mountain Goats
April 17: York Junior Symphony Orchestra
April 30: York Symphony Orchestra

Suba Tapas Bar
272 North St., Harrisburg
717-233-7358; mangiaqui.com

April 2: Sweet Corn and Peanut
April 9: Erin and The Project
April 16: Nate Myers and The Aces
April 23: TBA
April 30: TBA

Susquehanna Folk Music Society
sfmsfolk.org

April 2: Scott Ainslie
April 9: Coffee House
April 10: Jam
April 23: Ken & Brad Kolodner, w/Alex Lacquement

The Ware Center
42 N. Prince St., Lancaster
717-871-2308; artsmu.com

April 1: Jose Holland-Garcia
April 2: Malpass Brothers
April 3: Percussion Ensemble Showcase
April 3: Anita Renfro & Ioannis Potamousis
April 8: Naked Eye Ensemble
April 9: Robin Spielberg: American Tapestry Trio
April 15: Concert Band & Wind Ensemble
April 15: Jazz in the Sky
April 16: Jazz and Java

Whitaker Center
222 Market St., Harrisburg
717-214-ARTS; whitakercenter.org

April 9: Jewel

Zeroday Brewing Co.
250 Reily St., Harrisburg
717-745-6218; zerodaybrewing.com

April 8: Great Northeast
April 9: Dan & Josh Unplugged, Indian Summer Jars, Traveling Broke
April 22: Pale Barn Ghosts
April 29: That Girl

The Stage Door

American Music Theatre
2425 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster
717-397-7700; amtshows.com

April 26-Oct. 8: Crooners

Carlisle Theatre
44 West High St., Carlisle
717-258-0666; carlisletheatre.org

April 8-16: “The Full Monty”
April 23: Regional College A Cappella Competition

Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre
510 Centerville Rd., Lancaster
717-898-1900; DutchApple.com

Through April 30: “Menopause, the Musical”

Gamut Theatre
15 N. 4^th St., Harrisburg
717-238-4111; gamuttheatre.org

April 1: “Improvapalooza” w/Harrisburg Improv Theatre
April 8-10: “Snow White” w/Popcorn Hat Players
April 13-30: “Rumplestiltskin”
April 15: TMI Improv Troup Mainstage Show
April 17: Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebration

Gretna Music
Leffler Chapel and Performance Center, Elizabethtown College
717-361-1508; gretnamusic.org

April 19: The Capitol Steps

Harrisburg Comedy Zone
110 Limekiln Rd., New Cumberland
717-920-5653; harrisburgcomedyzone.com

April 1-2: Larry XL & Ryan Denisco
April 14: Graham Phillips
April 15-16: Tammy Pescatelli
April 22-23: Donna Carter & Monty Mitchell
April 29-30: Paul Lyons w/Bryan Siegel

Harrisburg Improv Theatre
1633 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-798-6973; hbgimprov.com

April 9: Panzer Division/Pillow Talk
April 9, 23: Monotone—An Improvised Musical
April 22, 24: Level 1 Class Show
April 24: Magic Fairy Pirate Monkeys
April 29: Teen Class Show
April 29: Level 3 Class Show
April 29: Improv Level 1, Teens Show
April 29: Voltron 1633
Every Saturday: Free Improv Mixer

Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center (H*MAC)
1110 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-441-7506; harrisburgarts.com

April 28: Harrisburg Area Improv Radicals (HAIR)

Hershey Theatre
15 E. Caracas Ave., Hershey
717-534-3405; hersheyentertainment.com

April 4: “Peppa Pig Live!”
April 17: Chinese Cultural & Arts Institute
April 26-May 1: “Ragtime”

Landis House
Perry County Council of the Arts
67 N. 4^th St., Newport
717-567-7023; perrycountyarts.org

April 20: PCCA Awards for Poetic Excellence
April 20: Coffeehouse Open Mic

Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg
915 S. York St., Mechanicsburg
717-766-0535; ltmonline.net

Through April 10: “Death Trap”

Luhrs Performing Arts Center
1871 Old Main Dr., Shippensburg
717-477-7469; luhrscenter.com

April 2: “Million Dollar Quartet”
April 7: “Year of the Monkey” w/The Peking Acrobats
April 14: Capitol Steps

Midtown Scholar Bookstore-Café
1302 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-236-1680; midtownscholar.com

April 15: Comedy Night

Open Stage of Harrisburg
223 Walnut St., Harrisburg
717-232-OPEN; openstagehbg.com

April 15-May 1: “The Old Friends”

Oyster Mill Playhouse
1001 Oyster Mill Road, Camp Hill
717-737-6768; oystermill.com

April 15-May 1: “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change!”

Rose Lehrman Arts Center
One HACC Drive, Harrisburg
717-780-2435; hacc.edu

April 21-24: “Reasons to be Pretty”

Strand Capitol Performing Arts Center
50 N. George St., York
717-846-1111; mystrandcapitol.org

April 2: York Symphony Orchestra
April 3: Sleeping Beauty
April 8-9: “In the Heights” w/ William Penn H.S. Performing Arts
April 19-21: Riverdance
April 24: Sinbad

The Ware Center
42 N. Prince St., Lancaster
717-871-2308; artsmu.com

April 2: “Be the Change,” Dance Benefit Performance
April 7: “An Evening with C. S. Lewis”
April 10: NetCo Dance: Suspended Perspectives
April 15-24: “Dead Man’s Cell Phone”

Whitaker Center
222 Market St., Harrisburg
717-214-ARTS; whitakercenter.org

April 16-17: Coppelia

York Little Theatre
27 S. Belmont St., York
717-854-5715; ylt.org

April 29-May 8: “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”

TheBurg Podcast, March 25, 2016

March 25, 2016 | by Admin

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

To listen to this week’s episode, click here.

March 25, 2016: This week, Larry and Paul talk about a $9 million conservation proposal involving the forested watershed that supplies Harrisburg’s drinking water. They also discuss City Council’s after-session discussion of a home rule charter plan the members aren’t quite warming up to. Plus, the Bernie Sanders campaign arrives in Midtown, and Larry appears in a WITF interview.

TheBurg Podcast is proudly sponsored by Ad Lib Craft Kitchen & Bar at the Hilton Harrisburg.

Special thanks to Paul Cooley, who wrote our theme music. Check out his podcast, the PRC Show, on SoundCloud or in the iTunes store. You can also subscribe to TheBurg podcast in iTunes.

Capital Region Water Weighs $9 Million Conservation Bid

March 21, 2016 | by Paul Barker

The authority seeks to conserve the pristine 8,200-acre property that includes the reservoir supplying Harrisburg's drinking water.

The authority seeks to conserve a pristine 8,200-acre property that includes the reservoir supplying Harrisburg’s drinking water.

Harrisburg’s water and sewer authority announced plans Monday for a $9 million conservation agreement that would permanently restrict development on its 8,200-acre property in Clarks Valley, a pristine, forested watershed in northern Dauphin County that supplies the city’s drinking water.

The agreement would involve a partnership with the Nature Conservancy, the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation and Fort Indiantown Gap, a National Guard training facility that neighbors the property. The agreement would keep the land in authority hands while restricting how Capital Region Water could use it.

“The DeHart watershed property is critical to protecting our drinking water,” said Capital Region Water CEO Shannon Williams. “Yet there are not protections in place against future development of this land.”

Under the proposal, such protections would be enshrined in a conservation easement, a legally binding agreement that attaches to a property and restricts how it can be used by current and future owners.

The easement would seek to preserve the watershed property “predominantly in its natural, scenic, forested and open space condition,” maintaining water quality and protecting rare plants and animals while preventing further development, according to a summary provided by Capital Region Water.

The property falls within one of the largest road-free areas in the state and forms part of the Kittatinny Ridge migration corridor, said Josh Parrish, director of the Nature Conservancy’s “working woodlands” program.

“For us, it’s a conservation priority,” he said.

The Nature Conservancy, a Virginia-headquartered environmental charity, will be Capital Region Water’s long-term conservation partner under the proposal, monitoring compliance with the restrictions on use of the land.

The project cost will primarily be funded through the Army Compatible Use Buffer program, or ACUB, a federal initiative that seeks to maintain undeveloped zones around military bases.

Fort Indiantown Gap was the country’s busiest National Guard training center last year and is the site of constant aviation, making it incompatible with residential development, according to Lt. Col. Christopher McDevitt, construction and facility management officer for the Pa. National Guard.

“We fly constantly, 7 in the morning til midnight, pretty much every day of the year except Christmas,” McDevitt said. “We’re noisy neighbors sometimes.”

The Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation, a conservation non-profit founded by the former NASCAR driver and 2002 Daytona 500 champion, will work with Fort Indiantown Gap to establish the easement with the federal funds.

The new proposal differs significantly from a prior conservation agreement that the authority’s board rejected in a 3-1 vote in early 2015. That agreement would have involved the $1 million sale of a smaller portion of the property to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, which would have submitted to similar land-use restrictions.

The earlier proposal shared the aim of conserving the property in perpetuity, and would have left the door open to expanding the acreage subject to restricted uses.

But the outright sale to the Game Commission, in contrast to the proposed easement, would have meant Capital Region Water retained much less control of the parcel, a prospect opposed by some authority customers.

Through letters and comments at two public hearings, customers told the authority they “did not want to give up ownership of the property to an organization with a statewide constituency,” Williams said.

Williams also said the proposed conservation agreement would provide “much-needed revenue” for the authority, which plans to spend tens of millions in the next few years on upgrading the city’s aging water and sewer infrastructure.

In addition to the $9 million payment for the easement, Capital Region Water could also see future revenues from the property through timber sales and sales of carbon credits.

The authority is working on a 10-year plan to sustainably harvest timber on the property, which the easement will require to be approved by the Nature Conservancy and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, a non-profit Parrish called the “gold standard” in forest management.

Capital Region Water is asking for public comment on the proposal by mail or through its website, capitalregionwater.com, by April 8. It will also host two public meetings on the proposal, on March 23 at 6 p.m. at 212 Locust St. and on March 29 at 6 p.m. at Hamilton Health Center, 110 S. 17^th St.

TheBurg Podcast, March 18, 2016

March 18, 2016 | by Admin

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

To listen to this week’s episode, click here.

March 18, 2016: This week, Larry and Paul talk about a blistering report on the city treasury leaked by City Controller Charles DeBrunner. They also discuss what happened when state officials showed up at City Council chambers to hear about the city’s proposed updates to its recovery plan.

TheBurg Podcast is proudly sponsored by Ad Lib Craft Kitchen & Bar at the Hilton Harrisburg.

Special thanks to Paul Cooley, who wrote our theme music. Check out his podcast, the PRC Show, on SoundCloud or in the iTunes store. You can also subscribe to TheBurg podcast in iTunes.

Harrisburg Officials Split over Critical Report on Treasury Department

March 14, 2016 | by Paul Barker

Harrisburg Controller Charles DeBrunner takes the oath of office two years ago.

An independent review of the Harrisburg treasurer’s office has split elected city officials, after City Controller Charles DeBrunner released a preliminary internal report on the findings over objections by the city solicitor and mayor.

The review, which encompassed the treasury’s general practices as well as specific activity during the 2014 calendar year, found the office lacked certain written policies and that aspects of its operations left it more vulnerable to fraud.

DeBrunner said Monday that the 20-page report, by the New York consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal, found “numerous serious accounting problems” encompassing both the treasury and the city’s finance bureau, as well as a “culture at the city where errors are accepted and expected.”

But Mayor Eric Papenfuse sharply critiqued that characterization, saying it was politically motivated and misquoted the report’s actual findings. He further accused DeBrunner, who published a redacted version of the report on his official website, of “short-circuiting” an ongoing investigation that was still in its early stages.

The report “seems to have been released for political purposes over the objection of the solicitor and the administration as the investigation is not yet complete,” Papenfuse said.

The city retained Alvarez & Marsal after former Harrisburg Treasurer John Campbell was arrested in August 2014 on charges that he had embezzled funds from a number of local non-profit organizations.

Those non-profits were unaffiliated with city government, but they led to Campbell’s resignation from his elected post and prompted Harrisburg to seek an independent review of the treasury’s internal controls and financial activity during 2014.

In its report, submitted to the city in late February, Alvarez & Marsal found that a lack of internal controls in the treasury in that period and perhaps earlier resulted in “an environment where the opportunity for fraudulent activity exists.”

The report also said that the deputy treasurer, Celia Spicher, performs “too many” functions, including both initiating and approving outgoing wire transfers and reconciling monthly bank accounts, a practice that “weakens checks and balances and negatively affects operations of the office.”

Spicher is on vacation this week and was unavailable for comment, according to a person at the treasurer’s office who answered the phone there Monday.

Though the review found no specific instances of suspicious activity, DeBrunner said, the state of the city’s controls and records made it “less likely” that such activity would be detected by the firm’s limited review.

DeBrunner also claimed the problems found in the report encompassed the administration’s finance bureau, and not simply the treasury, which is headed by an elected city treasurer. The report does not explicitly mention problems with the finance bureau, but DeBrunner said they could be “inferred.”

DeBrunner, an independently elected official who oversees certain aspects of city finances, said he released the statement because he believed that citizens deserved to see it and wanted to push the city to address the issues it raises.

“I am hopeful that this report will motivate the Mayor and the Treasurer to improve the city’s internal controls and change the default expectation to one where the city’s financial records are given the attention they deserve,” DeBrunner said.

Yet he and Mayor Papenfuse appeared to draw opposite conclusions about the implications of the findings. Papenfuse said most of the problems had been or were in the process of being resolved, and that the unauthorized release of the report hampered the investigation into possible abuses under past practices.

“He’s hindered our ability to go forward with Alvarez,” Papenfuse said, noting that the report was simply the first phase of a two-phase project that was later to weigh the benefits of a more expensive forensic investigation into specific account activity.

“In my opinion, he’s acted recklessly and irresponsibly and wasted $42,000 of taxpayers’ money,” Papenfuse added, citing the cost of the first-phase review.

Neil Grover, the city solicitor, said Alvarez & Marsal had taken the position that the city needed the firm’s permission before releasing its report to the public, based on clauses in its contract relating to disclosure to third parties. He said the issue had been “still under discussion” when DeBrunner released the report without the mayor’s blessing.

The mayor also denied that the city had a “culture” of tolerating errors, saying the statement did not reflect the administration and noting that most of the employees Alvarez interviewed during its review worked under the treasurer or controller.

Tyrell Spradley, the current city treasurer, said Monday that he had agreed with DeBrunner upon taking office in November 2014 that there were significant problems with the treasury’s internal controls.

He said the findings in the report were “no big surprise,” but that he was glad to have outside confirmation of the problems, which he said his office has made significant strides in correcting.

Spradley also concurred with the controller’s opinion that the problems extended beyond the treasury. He said he supported the controller’s release of the report, whether or not it had been approved by the administration.

“I honestly think the public should know,” he said.

Read the redacted report here.

This story has been updated with information about efforts to contact the deputy treasurer and with details from the city solicitor about a discussion regarding disclosure with Alvarez & Marsal.

TheBurg Podcast, March 11, 2016

March 11, 2016 | by Admin

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

To listen to this week’s episode, click here.

March 11, 2016: This week, Larry and Paul talk about a well-attended public meeting on a proposed marijuana decriminalization bill and the second workshop on updates to the city’s recovery plan. They also discuss two slices of city living they witnessed in the warmer weather.

TheBurg Podcast is proudly sponsored by Ad Lib Craft Kitchen & Bar at the Hilton Harrisburg.

Special thanks to Paul Cooley, who wrote our theme music. Check out his podcast, the PRC Show, on SoundCloud or in the iTunes store. You can also subscribe to TheBurg podcast in iTunes.

New Light

March 11, 2016 | by Tierra Woodford

Constance Cochrane, “Drama of the Fall,” c. 1940.

The sky was open, a baby blue canvas brushed by a few clouds. Light beamed down, reflecting all the colors of the world. The wind blew, shifting the clouds. The serenity of the light offset the hustle and bustle of the city, filled with busy students, business owners and traffic. A white building with the look of a bank came into view. A shelter from the light nip of the cold.

After a visit to the Susquehanna Art Museum on Third Street, everything starts to look like a painting. The museum is the temporary home of “New Light: The Pennsylvania Impressionists,” a group of paintings that capture the moment-by-moment beauty of landscapes and light. The exhibit, which runs until May 22, includes such Impressionist works as “The Fair” by Harry Leith, “Late Afternoon” by Edward Willis Redfield and “Drama of the Fall” by Constance Cochrane. All of the paintings are on loan from the Woodmere Art Museum in Philadelphia.

Cochrane’s 1940 “Drama of the Fall” is a central work in the exhibit, appearing on postcards and other promotional material. “It nicely represented the theme of this show,” said Lauren Nye, the museum’s director of exhibitions. “I liked the visual of the light shining down from the clouds.” Cochrane was a founding member of the Philadelphia Ten, a group of women artists that exhibited together from 1917 to 1945. She was an advocate for women’s participation in the mostly male-dominated field of visual arts. Cochrane worked from Monhegan Island where, with the help of her mother, she brought property.

There is an irony in the “Impressionist” label. The paintings themselves are very straightforward, leaving no doubt as to the scene they wish to convey, yet they are still open to interpretation. It’s all up to the viewer to see what she sees beyond the obvious picture. Nye’s favorite part is trying to discern the artist’s motions from the brush strokes visible in the paint. “Is the hand of the artist visible or hidden?” she said. “She clearly wanted that to be something people were influenced by.”

When Cochrane painted “Drama of the Fall,” she had to work quickly. She couldn’t take a picture and paint it later. She used what she had, because paints were expensive. The result is a simple moment in time expressed with a steady hand. The bright, varying colors draw the viewer in, occasionally repeating to bring the eye across the canvas. The texture of the painting differs from detail to detail. Up close, trees are smooth with little paint clumps. Boulders are wavy, suggesting a river rushing towards the viewer, yet they don’t disrupt the bright red flowers at their foot that balance the color palette at the bottom of the frame.

Nye pointed out how the color of the water towards the middle of the painting shifts from left to right, a change mirrored in the sky above. She also noted the contrast between the amber and evergreen colors, representing changing seasons.

Quiet classical music played in the lobby. The sky had shifted towards an orange tint from the sunset’s final shine being cast upon the city. No clouds swept across the twilight atmosphere, leaving brilliant tones of blue, yellow, green, orange and red. A perfect day for an Impressionist painter to capture with a brush in hand.

Tierra Woodford is a sophomore at Capital Area School for the Arts in downtown Harrisburg.

st@rtup to Anchor Historic Moose Lodge Building

March 10, 2016 | by Lawrance Binda

The historic Harrisburg Moose Lodge Temple, which is undergoing rehabilitation.

A Harrisburg co-working outfit will triple in size as it becomes the anchor tenant in the renovated, historic Moose Lodge Temple in Midtown.

st@rtup Harrisburg will take the entire ground floor of the landmark building at N. 3^rd and Boas streets, which last housed the Ronald Brown Charter School. The company is expected to make the move this summer when the renovation is complete.

“This move will allow us to better serve the city’s growing creative class and independent workforce,” said Adam Porter, st@rtup co-founder with business partner Adam Brackbill. “Harrisburg’s high quality of life and easy access to major markets make it a great place for anyone with an idea and the energy to execute it.”

st@rtup Harrisburg was founded three years ago as the city’s first co-working space, setting up in a building on the 1500-block of N. 3^rd Street. The new space, measuring 6,536 square feet, will allow the company to meet growing demand for a variety of workspaces, from shared desks up to private offices, said Porter.

WCI Partners purchased the dilapidated, 92-year-old building last year from Atlanta-based Mosaica Education. It had been empty since 2005, when the school district’s former board of control refused to re-authorize the school’s charter.

In addition to the st@rtup space, the renovation includes 33 high-end apartments in the building’s upper floors. Porter described the building as “Harrisburg’s first live/work” space, with the expectation that some tenants will choose to work downstairs in st@rtup.

Besides the Moose Lodge building, the project includes the renovation of three Victorian-style townhouses along the 900-block of N. 3^rd Street. Those buildings will feature commercial tenants on the ground floors and apartments upstairs, said WCI President David Butcher. TheBurg plans to occupy the ground-floor space in two of those townhouses, moving from its current location in Uptown Harrisburg.

Increasingly, creative companies are relocating to the southern tip of Midtown. Recently, photography and video company GK Visual purchased and moved into a former warehouse at 933 Rose St. The company will hold a ribbon cutting for its new space on March 30 at 4:30 p.m.

To learn more about st@rtup Harrisburg’s new space, visit www.startuphbg.com/new-home.

Disclosure: WCI principal Alex Hartzler is publisher of TheBurg.

TheBurg Podcast, March 4, 2016

March 4, 2016 | by Admin

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

To listen to this week’s episode, click here.

March 4, 2016: Let the sun shine… This week, Larry and Paul discuss a City Council workshop on the recovery plan, the Sunshine Act and a government-related nonprofit’s closed-door meetings, and a U.S. News & World Report survey that gave high marks to the Harrisburg metro area as a place to live.

TheBurg Podcast is proudly sponsored by Ad Lib Craft Kitchen & Bar at the Hilton Harrisburg.

Special thanks to Paul Cooley, who wrote our theme music. Check out his podcast, the PRC Show, on SoundCloud or in the iTunes store. You can also subscribe to TheBurg podcast in iTunes.

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