What’s the Plan? After scores of meetings and tons of input, Harrisburg’s comprehensive plan process enters the final stretch.

December 30, 2015 | by M. Diane McCormick

Comprehensive plan leaders Bret Peters and Geoffrey Knight.

The handwritten suggestions on 5×7 notepaper are posted for all to see at a beHBG comprehensive plan public meeting. Some of them make sense, expressing decades of frustration.

“More PARK renovations in the inner city. Harrisburg has to work for the kids.”

Others? Well, one of the submissions is nothing but a tot’s scribble in red marker. And there’s this, in a child’s handwriting: “I would like to see NFL team & stadium.”

Sorry, kid. Harrisburg will never work that well for city youth. But the Harrisburg comprehensive plan process is giving voice to dreams that have been silenced for years. Whether those dreams come true is another matter, but planners hope the process creates a new normal for transparency and dialog that bridges the festering trust gap among city leaders and residents.

Harrisburg City Council kicked off the comp plan process in early 2015 for a simple reason—because the state requires it. Also because the city’s previous plan is 41 years old. Remember 1974? If you wanted to watch M*A*S*H, your butt had to be on the sofa at precisely 9 p.m. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, your new AMC Gremlin sucked back 13.2 miles per gallon in gas.

At that time, 68,061 people lived in the city of Harrisburg, down from historic highs in the 100,000 range. Today, 49,082 residents rattle around among neighborhoods livable and not-so-livable, navigating streets that flow one way or split for reasons that might have made sense in another era but today only serve to divide.

Real Value

First, a note on what the comp plan is and isn’t.

It isn’t a tool for improving schools, bringing down taxes or whitening teeth. It may have some of those effects, but it’s focused on improving the physical environment and, therefore, projecting a stronger, healthier city to the world.

The theory goes like this: When people can navigate easily from one section to the other, social and geographic divides fall. When run-down lots turn into neighborhood gathering places, connections are made. When vacant buildings are reused, jobs are created.

“What points of the city have real value for the future?” asks Bret Peters, partner with Office for Planning and Architecture, the Harrisburg firm selected by a steering committee that launched the process. “Where there are structures with potential, you have redevelopment and reinvestment.”

It’s about integrating existing city elements, says Peters. Build a bridge from Division Street to Industrial Road, and Uptown connects easily with HACC and Wildwood Park. Make Market Street two lanes its full length, studded with redevelopment projects, and Allison Hill flows easily into downtown.

The plan envisions a city that’s easy to bicycle and walk, has transportation hubs, and offers a green waterway not just at the riverfront but also along a pristine, flood-free Paxton Creek.

Generational Opportunity

In Peters’ office behind St. Patrick’s Cathedral, there is a war room of sorts, where posters lining the walls display more than 40 transformative concepts—parks and greenways, fresh-food markets and rehabbed housing, repurposed schools and reinvigorated warehouses.

There is also, in this room, a giant map of the city pinned with more than 120 red, blue and yellow pushpins. Each pin represents a forum, neighborhood gathering or community meeting where planners solicited ideas and presented the comp plan as it took shape. Residents of all ages—including that tot who couldn’t write letters yet—submitted ideas on notepaper. Planners pureed those initial ideas into concepts that residents could vote on, in person or at behbg.com.

Community outreach and transparency are hallmarks of the process, says city Planning Director Geoffrey Knight, “hopefully insuring that we were in as many places and in front of the community in as many different ways as we possibly could have been.”

Some residents have been skeptical, assuming that planners are “supposed to have X number of meetings” and then craft the plan to their liking, Knight says. His team is “trying to disabuse the public of that notion.”

“We’re trying to find organizations and individuals and entities that traditionally haven’t interacted with the city all that much,” says Knight. “We do realize that over the last 40 or 50 years, there’s been a lot of apathy and mistrust built up. That’s been well-earned, because governments at the time just didn’t feel that public outreach was as necessary as we realize now, today, that it is.”

Of course, the ideas that rise to the top are no surprise. How many decades have city residents cried out for less crime, less blight, more greenery, fewer divides between the Hill and downtown, and for God’s sake, more grocery stores?

The next steps put comp plan ideas into practice, say planners. To prevent dust from piling up on the final document, the community must be vigilant and “continue pushing to say we want to start getting these in,” says Knight.

And for the funding that must, in nearly every case, materialize to turn ideas into reality? Knight sees three ways around that hurdle. First, grant funding spigots open more easily when projects are part of a comprehensive, well-thought-out, current plan, not a yellowed document that conjures Gerald Ford wearing wide ties.

Second, prioritize existing funds. “We are a fairly resource-constrained municipality, but we do have money to pave roads or do demolitions,” says Knight.

Instead of following an ad-hoc basis, allocate funds according to their fit with the plan. When an underground utility is replaced, paint bicycle lanes during resurfacing, and the task is done with “marginal costs.”

Third, use the plan to guide developers, urging them to build and invest in the areas where their interests intersect with the plans.

Same goes for integration among governments, says Peters. One of the plan’s more ambitious concepts is a revitalized industrial park on South Allison Hill, the area between 17^th and 19^th streets where that faded beauty, the Coca-Cola plant, and other industrial remnants now stand vacant.

That area is also at a prime location with direct access to I-83—the same stretch that PennDOT just happens to be widening and dramatically revamping in coming years, says Peters. It’s a “generational opportunity” to tell PennDOT “this is the community and the kind of area we’d like to see, and this is how we need roads to be designed coming in and out of the highway.”

“What we’re trying to do is create an export economy in this neighborhood where people are exporting goods and services, where people are coming in off the highway, buying things, and leaving,” says Peters. “Nobody views this neighborhood as a destination at the moment, but we want to turn it into one.”

Optimistic Exercise

But is any of this realistic or just Jetsons-style dreams?

Knight says much of implementation is simply “on-the-ground stuff in deferred maintenance that there’s money out there for.”

“Some of these concepts aren’t pie in the sky,” he says. “They might be a water taxi or splash park or skate park.”

And even though decades of mistrust prompt some to say that the city has more pressing needs, Knight paints the comprehensive plan as, “by nature, an optimistic exercise.”

“It’s meant to work on the premise that, if we do fix things up in five years, 10 years, where are we as a community?” he says. “You have to have those ideas and projects that think a little bit more long-term. We have addressed immediate needs that people care about, and where will we go from there?”

Milestones Ahead

Harrisburg’s Comprehensive Plan process should be wrapped up later this year, according to the following timeframe:

March 1: Final document is completed and issued for public comment. It’s also sent to Dauphin County and adjacent municipalities for review.
Mid-April: Harrisburg Planning Commission reviews the plan and votes to recommend its adoption or not.
June: Harrisburg City Council votes on whether to adopt the plan.

Fun on a Bun: Burger wishes, French fry dreams at the Broad Street Market.

December 30, 2015 | by Ashleigh Pollart

The malady: a wee too much to drink on a Friday night.

“The Cure”: ground beef seasoned to taste like breakfast sausage, sriracha mayo, a fried egg, French fries and Taylor ham, on a freshly made bun.

This is the type of morning-after remedy I can get behind—the my-mouth-is-suddenly-salivating creation at The Harrisburger, Broad Street Market’s gourmet burger joint that opened as part of a wave of new businesses in June.

When I asked the owner/griddle-master/mad burger scientist, Lou Lerant, how he concocted this tantalizing twist on your typical burger, he had a straight, matter-of-fact answer.

“I wanted sausage, but I had beef,” he said. “So, I just looked up ‘How to make breakfast sausage,’ took the seasonings and put it in the beef.”

Thus was born The Cure, Lerant’s very own hangover therapy. You’re welcome, Midtown millennials. But wake up early—there are only 10 of these babies available each Saturday.

Works of Art

The Cure’s creation happened the way that many of The Harrisburger’s one-of-a-kind combinations do, such as the Bacon Me Crazy, Sweet Chili O’Mine, Plain Jane and Truffle Shuffle—by inspiration, trial and error and repeated tastings.

“I like to offer something a little different that keeps them coming back,” Lerant said of his unique offerings.

The recipes are homegrown, with friends and family serving as the enthusiastic testers for his backyard grill experiments/works of art. These same friends and family encouraged Lerant to go into the burger business.

“Having my own restaurant was always something I wanted to do,” he said. “I just never had the means to do it.”

Lerant began to think more seriously about his dream when, one day, he was walking through the market and began speaking with the previous manager, Ashlee Dugan.

“I realized it wasn’t really that expensive to lease a space there,” he said. “Starting something up in the market is still fairly expensive, but not nearly as expensive as getting your own building.”

In another life, Lerant worked as an insurance underwriter and, like many others, regardless of career, was not happy in the job.

“I went to school and went to grad school, and I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” he said. “Everything I did, I was like ‘It’s OK,’ but I was never happy. I go to work, I go home and that’s it. I was always looking for something better.”

Lerant’s decision to chase his dream was applauded by his older co-workers when he announced his new venture.

“When I left my old job, all the older guys I worked with said ‘I wish I did this,’” he said. “And now they’ve been stuck in their job for 30 years instead of doing something else.”

Taste the Difference

In his quest for happiness, Lerant keeps his neighbors and customers top of mind.

He strives to make great food with the most local, high-quality food he can get find. In fact, his beef—freshly ground every morning—comes quite literally from Lerant’s neighbor, Hummer’s Meats, in the next building over. In addition, he picks up his buns every day at The Pennsylvania Bakery.

When possible, Lerant strives to support his fellow business owners by using local produce in his recipes. Some of that produce ends up as garlic aioli and caramelized onions, burger embellishments that Lerant makes himself.

“It’s time consuming, but I think people realize it and can taste the difference,” he said.

To add more zest, he uses the beer of another Midtown business, Zeroday Brewing, in some of his recipes.

Like others who call Midtown home or pass through this historical area of Harrisburg, Lerant recognizes the neighborhood’s evolution over the past few years.

“It seems as if Midtown is trying to become something,” he said. “People my age are trying to start small businesses and promote the town itself.”

Lerant even enthusiastically told me that he is now seeing more customers from outside the city, which is a relatively new audience for the market. As for The Harrisburger itself, Lerant is thrilled to see what the next few months hold.

“It may not work,” he said. “I may not be around forever. But at least I can say I did it, and I don’t regret doing it, which I think is the main takeaway.”

The Harrisburger is located in the Stone Building of the Broad Street Market and is open Thursday to Saturday during regular market hours. For more information, visit www.theharrisburger.com or call 717-836-0154.

On Becoming Whole: Movement, thought, wellness come together at Body IQ Life.

December 30, 2015 | by Susan Ryder

Intensity, drive and endurance. Faster, further and more.

That’s how exercise and weight loss have traditionally been approached.

But there’s another way, a way in which weight loss serves as the byproduct of exercise, not necessarily the motivation. In this way, mind and body care are addressed together, as one.

Body IQ Life, a Camp Hill-based Pilates and wellness studio, offers such a holistic approach to exercise.

“Movement is thought in motion,” said owner Janine Galati, a certified Romana’s Pilates teacher, exercise physiologist and licensed massage therapist.

Pilates is mindful. Mindfulness involves the awareness of how your body moves when exercising. For example, the typical curl involves little thought and is easily done with a quick flex of the bicep. But attempting to do a bicep curl while engaging the tricep involves a whole different process. One must concentrate, think about the motion.

“We teach people how to use their body,” said Galati. “We don’t teach how to tense muscle. We teach how to leverage the body.”

This takes proprioception, a sense of understanding of where one’s body is in space. Pilates focuses on corrective exercise, learning how to use the body well, preventing injury and staying healthy.

With Her Hands

An injury launched Galati into her present career.

She danced with the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet five days a week, six hours a day, until the age of 25. She left ballet to attend Temple University, where she studied exercise physiology, with the goal of becoming a surgeon. While there, she picked up sculling and injured her back. The injury left her numb to the foot in one leg, limping, and in severe pain.

Doctors advised her to have a lumbosacral laminectomy, but friends had other advice. They told her to seek out Romana Kryzanowska, a first-generation Pilates teacher who had studied directly with Pilates creator Joseph Pilates.

Galati healed her back working with Romana and subsequently developed an interest in the practice. She was enthralled with how Romana used her hands to determine the kind of treatment people needed. She realized that she wanted that type of close relationship with healing, a relationship the surgical profession would not allow.

“I work in a very old way,” she said. “My teacher taught me a tradition with her hands.”

Galati studied with Romana for five years then opened the first Philadelphia-based Pilates studio in the Rittenhouse Square area. At the time, aerobics was in, and Pilates was new.

“People were annoyed that I wanted to help them organize their bodies,” she said.

However, athletes, dancers and actors saw the benefits of Pilates and visited Galati’s Philadelphia studio. Martina Navratilova, Bruce Hurst and Toni Collette, among other notables, have studied with her, she said.

In 2008, Galati joined her soon-to-be husband and moved to Camp Hill. Her studio there resembles a physical therapy office, but is softer and more welcoming. Among the equipment are pieces designed by Joseph Pilates.

One piece, the Cadillac (yes, named for the car) is a padded table with stainless steel poles at each corner, a push bar and arm and leg springs. Gatali stretches new patients on this table where, along with a written evaluation, she determines their needs.

Beside the Cadillac sits the reformer (it sounds more menacing that it is), another pivotal Pilates machine. Its padded center glides, and students push with their feet against a stainless bar at the end or pull with arm straps. These machines use body weight and springs to lengthen and strengthen muscle.

Motions focus on precision and mechanics—quality verses quantity. This precision allows for economy of energy, working smarter not harder. Galati watches and manipulates patients as they use equipment to ensure that they engage the proper muscles.

Personal Attention

Along with physical flexibility and strength, Body IQ Life emphasizes self-care, taking care of the mind, body and spirit.

Galati said that this is necessary because “people’s brains and bodies are at two different speeds.” This self-care includes massage, aromatic herbal footbaths, restorative yoga and meditation, in addition to Pilates.

Students come to Galati for a variety of reasons. Most are women, Baby Boomers, folks who have had orthopedic problems, those investigating nonsurgical options, and those who need some type of correction such as help with poor posture or balance.

People who study with Galati receive individual attention and a personal plan. No two plans are alike because no two people are alike. Participants have different problems, needs and motivations, and their plans will reflect that.

She also teaches a class through the Camp Hill Recreation Department so that folks can participate and receive the benefits of her guidance in more cost effective way.

“I work the ladies hard, but I keep them safe [from injury],” said Galati.

She hopes that exercise will becomes a part of a person’s daily care. Not a chore or cultural expectation, but a genuine desire to be happier and healthier. She wants people to take the time to understand themselves and their bodies better.

“I want to create a collective conversation about health and wellness,” she said.

Body IQ Life is located at 2208 Market St., Camp Hill. For more information, visit www.bodyiqlife.com or call 717-412-4195.

Harrisburg on the Wall: “The Burg 2” will give the gift of art by selling it.

December 30, 2015 | by Rebecca Hanlon

Step into Gallery@Second, and it seems like Harrisburg is breathing through the art displayed on the walls.

That’s certainly how owner Ted Walke wants people to feel when they experience “The Burg 2” art exhibit, slated for Jan. 14 to March 12.

“The city has so much to tell,” Walke said, as he prepared his gallery for the exhibit. “There’s a level of pride in being part of Harrisburg. When art can showcase that, it can be the wave that the community rises on.”

Walke and his wife, Linda, hosted their first “The Burg” exhibit in 2010, with the intention of featuring local artists who could showcase everything from abstract to contemporary pieces that represented a slice of Harrisburg.

Many people who visited the first show recognized their homes or favorite hangout spots captured on canvas, film or paper.

Walke remembers the reaction to the initial exhibit, people grabbing framed art straight off the wall and bringing it to the front counter for purchase. Whatever was behind the frame spoke so deeply to them that they had to have it, he said.

He hopes for the same response this time around, especially since the gallery’s share of the sale will go back into the arts through Sprocket Mural Works, a group dedicated to creating vibrant community murals throughout Harrisburg.

“There’s a really good feeling we have about doing this,” Walke said. “We know that art can impact the community, and, if we can help that progress in Harrisburg, then we feel we’re on the right path.”

Lasting, Inspiring

Community donations are what keep Sprocket Mural Works running, said its co-founder, Jeff Copus, who’s also the art education director with Jump Street.

Formed about two years ago, Sprocket has completed about 10 different murals throughout the city, ranging from a geometric-inspired mural at the Kindergarten Academy on Filbert Street to a colorful tree celebrating diversity along Kittatinny Street in Allison Hill.

The organization uses every cent to place art throughout the city, the donations off-setting costs that range from paying artists to buying high-quality paint supplies, Copus said.

“Funding is one of the largest things we have to overcome right now,” he said. “The more money we have, the more projects we can do, and we’ve often been in a place where a lack of funds has kept us from doing more. When we have someone from the community recognize our efforts and choose to support us, it really means a lot.”

Any money raised through the Gallery@Second exhibit will be applied to 2016 projects, he said. This includes a large mural planned for April on the west wall of Midtown Cinema.

Painting a mural on the broadside of a two- to three-story row home can cost about $12,000, or about $10 per square foot, Copus said. A few factors play into that, including whether the wall is in good condition and what the artist charges for his or her work. The paint used for the murals is also expensive but is a high-quality, high-pigment paint meant to last about 30 years. Most exterior paint grades found at the hardware store will start to degrade after about five years.

“We want to go into these neighborhoods and offer more than a Band-Aid on their buildings,” Copus said. “We want to provide something lasting, something inspiring.”

All Around Us

Artist Karen Commings is delighted that her contribution to the exhibit will not only bring art into someone’s home, but will help provide art to entire neighborhoods through the gallery’s donation, she said.

No matter how many times she’s photographed Harrisburg, there is a new scene, a different angle or a change in the light that gets her to look at the city differently, she said.

The photograph she submitted for “The Burg 2” captures a scene down North Street taken from the steps of the Pennsylvania Capitol. After adjusting the highlights to bring out the white in the image, it looks more like a watercolor than a photograph, she said.

“I’d like for people to see the photo and look at that scene as they never have before,” she said. “How many times do we pass certain things and not pay attention to them? As an artist, I try to find beauty in the things people often do not even notice. There is beauty in the everyday and mundane.”

For Walke, the hope is that each person who visits “The Burg 2” walks away with that same sense of awe. He hopes a passion for the city is rekindled through the framed art that hangs on the walls of his gallery.

“If we can get that pride to flow through the streets of Harrisburg, into the lives of each and every person who lives here, then I think we’ve accomplished something great,” he said. “Art is all around us in Harrisburg. Sometimes, we just need someone to show it to us.”

Gallery@Second, 608 N. 2^nd St. in Harrisburg, will host “The Burg 2” from Jan. 14 to March 12. For more information, visit www.galleryatsecond.com or email [email protected]. More information on Sprocket Mural Works can be found at www.sprocketmuralworks.com.

Between Two Lives: Art, gender & identity for “The Danish Girl.”

December 30, 2015 | by Sammi Leigh Melville

“I won’t disappear into the bog. The bog is in me, silly.”

So says painter Einar Wegener (Eddie Redmayne) to his wife Gerda (Alicia Vikander), trying to assure her of his presence as he finishes up painting a landscape he’s held onto since his childhood.

Director Tom Hooper’s “The Danish Girl” brilliantly unfolds around this happy couple in 1926 Copenhagen as they throw themselves into their art. But Einar holds a secret: He has something else within him, something which, in fact, makes him a her.

Lili. That is the name that resonates more distinctly with Einar and the embodiment that goes with the name. When Gerda asks Einar to pose for a painting in place of their friend, Ulla (Amber Heard), wearing stockings and slippers, something sparks and brings Lili back to the surface.

Though Gerda plays along at first, mistaking her husband’s bashful pleasure for a running joke, Lili comes out to play bit by bit, first by trying on Gerda’s clothing, then makeup, and, finally, by appearing at the Artist’s Ball with Gerda, charading as Einar’s cousin. By the time that Gerda finally understands what is happening, Lili has tasted a glimpse of what her life could be like as a woman and is not ready to go back to being Einar.

The story (a loose depiction of the life of Lili Elbe, the first transgender woman to undergo sex reassignment surgery, as novelized by David Ebershoff) follows her journey as Lili finds herself and Gerda’s journey as she struggles to cope with her husband’s changes. It is a fascinating story, though it deals with transgender issues in a bit of a precarious way—sometimes Lili’s desires are referred to as if they are some form of multiple personality disorder or possession, and sometimes they’re written off as insanity.

While the film makes it clear that it is 1920s society that labels her in such ways, it is a bit disconcerting when Lili herself seems to conform to these labels—she often speaks of herself as “she” instead of “I”, etc. But, beyond this awkward approach, which seems to reflect the amateurishness of the characters rather than the writer, the film at least reveals the surface of the transgender struggle, almost as an introduction to the topic. One can assume that, once this introduction is made, it is up to the viewer to delve further into the topic.

Redmayne does a tremendous job conveying Lili’s actions, though he focuses on her struggle in a very external way, causing Lili at times to feel almost like a secondary character. Oddly enough, Vikander’s role in this film will be the one to earn the audience’s affections, as her journey essentially encapsulates the average moviegoer’s perspective—and her performance is dynamite.

Together, the two paint a vivid picture of Lili and Gerda’s relationship as they navigate through unknown territory, and they are supported by such roles from Matthew Schoenaerts and Ben Whishaw as Lili’s former and prospective interests. And Danny Cohen’s cinematography only adds to the beauty of the picture, adding flourishes to the already ornate art design of the film.

There is Oscar bait written all over this film, so make sure you check it out. “The Danish Girl” is now playing at the Midtown Cinema.

January Special Events
at Midtown Cinema

Midnight Matinee
“Magic Mike”
Saturday, Jan. 2, 11:55pm

Down in Front!
“Creature from the Black Lagoon”
Friday, Jan. 8, 9:30pm

Classic Film Series
“Dr. Zhivago”
Sunday, Jan. 10, 6pm

Dance on Screen
“Giselle”
Sunday, Jan. 10, 5pm

3^rd in the Burg $3 Movie
“Cool Runnings”
Friday, Jan. 15, 9:30pm

Faulkner Honda Family Film Series
“Cool Runnings”
Saturday, Jan. 16, 12pm
Sunday, Jan. 17, 2pm

Digital Theatre Series
“Jane Eyre”
Sunday, Jan. 24, 3pm

The Wind at Their Backs: From grape-sellers to wine-makers, the Jansens’ mission has grown.

December 30, 2015 | by Cathy Jordan

CrossWinds Winery may have opened just last year, but, in many ways, it’s been a quarter-century in the making.

In the early 1990s, Ed Jansen’s father planted about 100 grapevines on his farm in Juniata County, just to see what would happen.

“As it happens, those grapes did really well,” said Ed.

So well, in fact, that Ed decided to plant more.

“I told him to put in another 200,” Linda said.

Ed smiled slyly then added, “I could have sworn she said 2,000.”

Unfortunately, Ed’s father passed away before he had the chance to see the results of his labor. The demand for the farm’s grapes grew and grew, driven by their reputation for quality and the proliferation of wineries throughout the state.

Then, as happens to many successful businesses, fate threw them a curve.

Their biggest client changed direction and no longer needed to buy their grapes. So, the couple asked themselves: “What do we do now?”

That question was answered after dinner one fateful evening. Driving along Route 39 outside of Hershey, they saw a home for sale. Decision made. Within two weeks, the building that would become their tasting room was purchased.

“It was meant to be,” said Linda.

CrossWinds Winery opened on May 31.

“I never thought I would own a winery,” Ed said. “Growing grapes, being outside, and being productive—that’s what I wanted.”

Awesome Location

The Jansens’ 10-acre vineyard is home not only to their grapes, but also to their airplanes as Ed and Linda are both pilots. In fact, the couple built a private airport on their property (known in flying lingo as Jansen Vineyards, PN71).

Therefore, it seemed logical for them to combine their two loves.

An aviation theme is apparent as you walk through CrossWinds Winery at Hershey, which was named for the constant crosswinds that blow through their farm’s 1,200-foot-high ridge back in Juniata County. A rose compass is their logo, and the wines have names like Fly Boy Red (a rosé-style Chambourcin), High Flying White (a sweet Niagara), Perfect Landing (a sharp Concord) and Tailspin Blueberry (a sweet blueberry-infused red).

So, besides all the airplanes, what differentiates CrossWinds from other wineries popping up all over central Pennsylvania?

“CrossWinds might be a new winery, but our vineyard is over 25 years old, and we have mature grapes,” said Linda.

Moreover, they “relentlessly” crop-thin, said Ed.

Crop thinning is a term used for thinning the vine by removing flowers and grapes.

“It allows the flavor in the grapes to really show through,” he said.

He paused a brief moment, then added, “And no other winery has Linda!”

That statement elicited a smile and a kiss from his wife.

The Jansens clearly love what they do.

“Our goal is to bring a mature, good Pennsylvania wine to tourists and locals and to spread the word about what PA can do with wine,” said Linda. “We are in an awesome location to do that.”

How so?

First, said Ed, their vineyard’s elevation allows them to make a standout Reisling, a grape that enjoys light. They then can share the high-quality result with the hordes of visitors who flock to Hershey for the amusement park, the auto show and the concerts, among other attractions.

Besides the out-of-staters, locals stop by on a regular basis, bringing friends and family with them to sip and taste, said Linda.

“I expected a lot of tourists, but was pleasantly surprised by all the locals,” she said.

Great Relationships

Despite opening their own winery, the Jansens are not out of the grape-growing business. They continue to sell grapes to their existing customers, but their business now is more diversified.

“We aren’t looking for more customers,” said Ed. “Our grapes are already spoken for.”

When you visit the tasting room, you’ll fine an open-concept space and tasting bar, a wine shop and gift shop. Special events, like paint night and sip-and-shop, are hosted on Saturdays, with an event room in the works. Customers also can sit out back on the covered porch to enjoy a view of the sprawling countryside and neighboring horses.

To accompany the wine, cheese and veggie platters are offered, and the staff will work with caterers. The winery also is available for rent during off-hours.

Recently, CrossWinds partnered with Cassel Vineyards and Spring Gate Vineyard to become part of the Sweet Arrow Wine Trail, a small trail along the Swatara Creek watershed, which hosts special Sunday events.

“We have great relationships,” said Linda. “That’s been a very important part of our success.”

CrossWinds Winery at Hershey is located at 621 Hershey Rd., Hummelstown. For more information, call 717-566-3050 or visit www.crosswindswinery.com. For information on the Sweet Arrow Wine Trail, visit www.sweetarrowtrail.com

Here’s to . . . You: Raise a glass; Toastmasters is here to help.

December 30, 2015 | by Gina Napoli

Rewind 11 years. No way would I stand in front of my peers to give a speech. About any topic. On purpose. With people watching.

I didn’t even like raising my hand to answer questions in meetings. When my peers spoke, they conveyed their focused thoughts eloquently. I noticed how quickly they made their points. When my turn came, I stammered about 10 “ums” per sentence. If I did make my point, it took way longer than it should have.

Over the years, I noticed myself being passed over for promotions. If I had any composure, it vanished the moment I scheduled an interview. The confident professional who wanted to communicate was replaced with some stuttering ninny in a pantsuit. If the words “public speaking required” appeared in the announcement, I wouldn’t even apply.

I wanted to improve, but I didn’t know how.

Then, one random workday in 2004, I whined to my coworker Bill Krouse about my plight. My complaint probably dragged on pointlessly, longer than it should have.

“You really need to try Toastmasters. It’s a safe environment for you to practice your speaking skills,” Krouse said. “Could help you interview better.”

My workplace sponsored a weekly Toastmasters club meeting. Krouse was (and is) Toastmasters’ unofficial chief recruiter.

“Sounds like a lot of work.” The truth? I was frightened to change.

“It’s all self-paced,” he insisted. “You get out of it what you put into it.”

I tossed my hair. “I’m too busy.”

Then I had a talk with myself. That same week, I skipped lunch to attend my first Toastmasters meeting. For me, that’s a trade-off akin to cutting off a toe. Unlike most meetings, Toastmasters had an atmosphere as warm as the grilled cheese and tomato soup I would have eaten.

Like Family

My first meeting was the most organized meeting I had ever attended. The facilitator distributed agendas and used Robert’s Rules to structure the meeting. Every member filled a defined role. Just like at work, some people wore multiple hats.

Each role had a real-world application. For example, the Jokemaster, um, well, told a joke. I could think of at least four close friends who needed help telling a joke. The Grammarian took note of grammatical errors and corrected them. The Timer timed each speaker, giving traffic light signals to let them know when they were dragging on pointlessly. I wanted to invite these people to my workplace meetings. (My husband wanted to invite them for dinner.)

During the meeting, a speaker gave a prepared interpretive reading. I thought, “That’s what I want to do.”

I couldn’t imagine how the speaker could have improved his performance. Then the evaluator listed several improvements in the form of an ad-hoc speech. The speaker swayed. I hadn’t even noticed. Distracting hand gestures also escaped my attention. Mouth-smacking noises rounded out the list.

My listening and observation skills smacked of lousy.

“Feedback is how we learn and grow. We’re not just a club—we’re family,” said Linda Dean, public relations officer for Toastmasters. “Who better to grow up with than your family?”

Everyone is welcome—during and after each meeting—to offer written and verbal feedback to any meeting attendee.

Soon after that meeting, I started working on basic skills, like gestures, eye contact, vocal variety. The nerd in me couldn’t help it. I peeked ahead to the back of the manual.

“Give a technical speech. Speak to inspire. Persuade an audience to your point of view.”

At the very back, 17 advanced manuals covered specialty communications situations. Radio and TV, storytelling, facilitating meetings were just a few. Gulp. There wasn’t a communications scenario left uncovered.

Organize and Express

The projects start off easy and eventually become more complex. Most members work simultaneously through two structured tracks: communication and leadership.

Mel Collins, president of Agile Consulting and current Toastmasters officer, said, “I joined because I wanted to effectively lead and present meaningful information to my staff and co-workers.”

Clubs meet a few times per month. Some are corporate and professional. It’s all networking and handshaking. Others are social. That just means the business meeting includes coffee, chicken and the occasional baby.

“My 18 years in Toastmasters have earned me glowing comments in my performance evaluations,” member Bill Zdankiewicz said. “I was also able to present the eulogy at my father’s funeral without embarrassing myself or his memory. And I had the experience and resources to deliver a roast-toast at my mother’s surprise 80th birthday party—one that she could laugh at and be proud of.”

For every milestone you achieve, Toastmasters will send your employer a letter of praise. Managers often attend with their employees or build Toastmasters into their training development plans. Corporate clubs often pay for their employees’ memberships. Even if you’re paying your own dues, it’s only $36 for six months.

Member Dave Smith may have retired from work, but he didn’t stop improving himself.

“As a ‘returning’ college student, my English professor told me I had a book inside me,” he said. “I was the first black chief recruiter for Navy recruiting in Harrisburg. Plus, I served aboard naval submarines under very prejudicial conditions. Toastmasters is helping me organize and express my stories.”

With 14,650 clubs in 126 countries, Toastmasters has helped 4 million people since 1924. I signed up to become a better interviewee. Completing the curriculum gave me much more.

Ten years ago, I faltered through my first speech, said “um” about 87 times, and soaked my pantsuit with various sweat rings. Now, I can stand confidently, use a microphone and keep my pantsuit mostly dry. Do I still get nervous before interviews and speeches? Sure, but now it’s not an ordeal. Through Toastmasters, I grew professionally and socially.

I taught a session on how to deliver effective evaluations last year. One of my mentors offered me feedback. “You flip your hair a lot. It’s distracting. And could you wear a dress once in a while?”

Always room to grow.

To begin your Toastmasters journey, visit www.toastmasters.org. Enter your zip code and find a club you like.

New Year, No Smoke: Numerous programs will help you stomp out that last cig.

December 30, 2015 | by Phyllis Zimmerman

Now that it’s another new year, are you ready to quit tobacco?

If so, there are plenty of local resources to help you on what many say is a difficult, yet rewarding, journey to a tobacco-free life.

If you do quit, you certainly won’t be alone. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that the number of U.S. adults who smoke cigarettes declined by nearly 20 percent from 2005 to 2014.

Federal officials speculated that anti-smoking campaigns, better insurance coverage to help quitters, and tougher laws that make it harder to smoke in certain places contributed to the decline, as well as stiffer federal and state taxes on tobacco products.

“Everyone already knows using tobacco is not good for you,” said Kristen Ruis, a tobacco cessation counselor at Sadler Health Center in Carlisle. “What people need for quitting is information about how the addiction process works, and they need support.”

Here are several resources for tobacco cessation help that are right here in our area.

PinnacleHealth

PinnacleHealth sponsors a free monthly cessation support group facilitated by a certified tobacco treatment specialist at Giant Food’s Community Center in Camp Hill, as well as smoking cessation services at PinnacleHealth CARES and Community Wellness in Harrisburg.

“The whole goal behind this is to build an external support system,” said Shannon Mason, RN, a tobacco treatment specialist. “The hardest part of quitting tobacco is coping with stress. There’s different reasons why every person uses tobacco, but the most common is using it as a stress reliever.”

Mason said that support group numbers fluctuate from month to month but usually average around five people. Roughly half are smokers; the others are chewers. The youngest attendees are college students. The oldest was a 76-year-old woman who quit with the aid of nicotine replacement patches after 62 years of tobacco use, she said.

“When she first came to our group, she wanted to quit tobacco but liked it,” Mason stated. “It was six months before she quit. In November, she was eight weeks tobacco-free.”

Quit methods are “very individual,” but Mason said she doesn’t like anyone going cold turkey. She also doesn’t consider e-cigarettes a cessation aid.

“They’re not regulated by the FDA. They don’t have to answer to anyone,” she stressed.

Mason said she became interested in tobacco cessation counseling through her work as a registered nurse.

“I saw some (medical) complications that came from bad lifestyle decisions,” she said. “Tobacco use is the number-one preventable cause of death. That’s the word that got me. It’s preventable.”

For information on PinnacleHealth’s tobacco cessation services, visit www.pinnaclehealth.org, call 717-231-8014 or email Mason at [email protected].

Northern Dauphin County YMCA

The Northern Dauphin County YMCA is a designated provider of the American Lung Association’s “Freedom From Smoking” cessation program in south-central Pennsylvania. This covers Dauphin, Cumberland, Perry, Bedford and Blair counties.

“Freedom From Smoking,” a free eight-week program conducted at the Northern Dauphin YMCA or upon request, will go to workplaces, human service agencies or addiction rehab and mental health facilities. The program can be modified for groups or one-on-one settings and provides participants with a month’s supply of nicotine replacement aides.

“The program can be for all different sized groups,” said Eric Rothermel, outreach director for the Northern Dauphin branch. “We’ll go anywhere.”

Funding for “Freedom From Smoking” is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Health through the American Lung Association of the Mid-Atlantic.

“Each session is more about gaining control over the behavior of tobacco use,” Rothermel said. “‘Quit Day’ happens during session four. The hardest part is the behavior for adults. They taught themselves to do this all these years. You’ve just got to jump in with both feet. If you have a setback, you just try again.”

About 60 percent of all participants report quitting by the end of the program, noted Jen Hobbs Folkenroth of the American Lung Association in Camp Hill. It takes the average smoker 11 tries to quit for good using any method, she added.

Out of 10 participants, about three or four remain tobacco-free after six months, Rothermel said. He strongly urged smokers not to use cold turkey methods, as those have a success rate of less than 10 percent.

For the “Freedom from Smoking” program, the Northern Dauphin YMCA works in collaboration with the West Shore YMCA in Camp Hill and the Hollidaysburg Area YMCA in Blair County.

The Northern Dauphin branch also collaborates with the Dauphin County Office of Juvenile Probation, providing tobacco prevention courses to youth enrolled in the Dauphin County Young Offenders Program.

The Northern Dauphin YMCA is located at 500 N. Church St., Elizabethville. For information, call 717-362-9494 or visit www.ymcaharrisburg.org/northerndauphin.

Sadler Health Center

The Sadler Health Center in Carlisle offers individual tobacco cessation counseling. As a federally qualified health center, Sadler’s fees are based on a sliding income scale or covered by insurance when applicable.

“A person doesn’t have to be ready to stop smoking to come here,” said tobacco cessation counselor Kristen Ruis. “We encourage people just to come in and talk to someone. A person may want to quit smoking, but the brain does not want them to quit.”

Addiction to tobacco is stronger than to cocaine, heroin or alcohol, Ruis said. Once consumed, nicotine can travel to the brain in about seven seconds, providing users with a deep level of instant gratification.

“Most start using in their teens before they really know how it’s going to affect the rest of their lives,” Ruis said. “I’ve seen older people with COPD, use oxygen or have trouble just breathing, and they’re still addicted to tobacco.”

Studies indicate that behavioral therapy paired with nicotine replacement aides are an effective way to quit, said Ruis, who also has served as a behavioral health specialist at Sadler. Going cold turkey is not recommended.

“The hardest part about quitting is the tobacco cravings,” Ruis explained. “Nicotine replacement therapy helps to calm those. Also, tobacco use is such an invasive part of your day, your brain associates certain behaviors with nicotine. For instance, maybe you always smoked when driving your car or with meals.”

Sadler Health Center is located at 100 N. Hanover St., Carlisle. For more information about Sadler’s tobacco cessation program, call 717-218-6670; email [email protected]; or visit www.sadlerhealth.org.

Lancaster General Health

Lancaster General Health offers one-on-one tobacco counseling and “Freedom From Smoking” group classes free to all participants. These programs are provided through the Southeastern Pennsylvania Tobacco Control Project, a program of the Health Promotion Council, and funded through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Mary LeVasseur, manager of community health at Lancaster General, said that about 250 individuals take advantage of the facility’s smoking cessation services each year. Their success rate, she said, “Really depends on medication. The most successful people are on medication to do this.”

Most insurance programs cover “some form” of cessation medication, LeVasseur said, which may include Chantix, Wellbutrin or nicotine patches, gum or lozenges.

“Seventy percent of the people say they want to quit but they have a lot of anxiety about putting that first cigarette down,” LeVasseur stated. “You don’t have to quit to come to our classes.”

As a former smoker, LeVasseur knows what it’s like to quit. She also knows that the most important component is “finding a counselor who will work with you on this journey to become tobacco-free.”

For more information, call 1-888-544-4636 or visit www.LGHealth.org/Classes. Also visit www.facebook.com/whytobaccofreelanc.

Other Quit Tobacco Resources

PA Quitline: Free phone counseling and nicotine replacement therapy, 1-800-784-8669.

Smokefree TXT: Text the word QUIT to IQUIT (47848) from your mobile phone.

Wellness Connection: Webcam counseling and nicotine replacement therapy, 1-800-200-2229.

PA Dept. of Health: www.determinedtoquit.com.

American Lung Association of Pennsylvania: Certified tobacco cessation specialists available face-to-face, by phone, online or through self-help guide. Call 1-800-LUNGUSA.

Culture Capital: The capacious, renovated Capitol Room set to host major events at H*MAC

December 30, 2015 | by Jess Hayden

The nearly completed restoration of the Capitol Room, a turn-of-the-century art deco ballroom located at the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center (H*MAC), is the latest chapter in one of the area’s most ambitious renovation projects.

It joins Stage on Herr and the recently opened Kitchen & Gallery Bar to form a complex that aspires to be Harrisburg’s “one stop shop for arts and culture.”

“This is the last surviving ballroom from the early 1900s left in Harrisburg,” said H*MAC founder and managing partner John Traynor. “When it’s fully operational, we’re going to be able to do music events here every weekend. That’s a lot of music and a lot of entertainment.”

The Capitol Room is spacious, and, being a ballroom, has no pillars or other obstructions to get in the way of good sightlines to the stage. The maple wood floor is original, and banks of arched windows grace the room on two sides. There is a bar in the back of the room and a door that leads out to an inviting balcony where event-goers can relax with a beer or a glass of wine and enjoy the beautiful view of the state Capitol.

The stage is an adequate size to house the national bands that Traynor hopes to showcase in the space, as well as theatrical productions by the center’s resident company, the H*MAC Theater Troupe. For the artists’ comfort, there are also greenrooms and bathrooms behind the stage. A Juliet balcony, which sits at mezzanine level in the back of the ballroom, is still to be renovated.

“It will be for the VIPs,” said Traynor. “We’ll have a private bar and bathrooms, and, obviously, everyone who sits up there will have a great view of the stage.”

The Capitol Room is a multi-use space that can be configured to hold a variety of events ranging from concerts, parties and theatrical events to fundraisers and weddings. It can accommodate as many as 500 guests for banquets and many more for theater-style seating or standing events. Traynor says that, while the ballroom opened up this past June, the public will have to wait until the spring to see big musical events there.

“We still have some work to do to get in a top-notch sound system,” he said. “This is a very expensive ticket item, and we want to make sure that the audio is perfect.”

In the meantime, the Capitol Room is fully operational as a banquet facility and has other uses, as well. The space hosted several holiday parties last month, and wedding receptions are scheduled for this year. A monthly arts flea market has started there, with more than 40 vendors and upwards of 1,000 people attending recently. The annual stage production of “The Rocky Horror Show,” which previously had been held at Stage on Herr, was moved upstairs this past Halloween for a successful two-day run, and some smaller acoustic concerts are also planned.

Now that the Capitol Room is open, Traynor says that H*MAC has much more to offer the community.

“You can come for the evening, have a drink at Stage on Herr, have dinner at the restaurant and then come up for the show,” he said.

H*MAC also plans to do a lot more programming and may sometimes run simultaneous shows at both venues.

“Our dream is to be as eclectic and welcoming to all kinds of possibilities,” he said.

The renovated structure that H*MAC now occupies was built 100 years ago as the city’s Jewish Community Center which had, aside from the ballroom, a swimming pool, kosher kitchens and classrooms for a yeshiva. During its heyday, the ballroom was used for weddings, bar mitzvahs and other celebrations.

The building later housed the Harrisburg Police Athletic League, with the ballroom converted to a basketball court.

“When I first saw the room, I remember thinking, ‘OK, we don’t have to change the wheel,’” he said. “What we just need to do is restore this beautiful old ballroom to what it was, a place for the community.”

The resulting Capitol Room has plenty of old-world charm, but don’t expect to find a lot of fancy chandeliers or other finery.

“We still have the curtains to do, but we intentionally left the room very simple and basic,” said Traynor. “This way, it is a blank canvas where anything can happen.”

The Capitol Room is located in the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center (H*MAC), 1110 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.harrisburgarts.com or call 717-412-4342.

Pizza, Beer, Tolstoy: Grain + Verse brings culture to the humble pie.

December 30, 2015 | by Stephanie Kalina-Metzger

Kurt Wewer wears his heart on his chef’s sleeve, making it easy to determine where his passions lie.

The 30-something Harrisburg resident is happy to share his thoughts on the many things that interest him: exceptional food, craft beer, great music and classic literature. It then becomes obvious that Grain + Verse is aptly named.

Located inside the Clarion Hotel off Limekiln Road in New Cumberland, the casual restaurant focuses on pizza, calzones, panini and small bites just right for sharing. Craft beer aficionados, wooed to the place by the siren song of 300-plus beers that take up an entire wall, have been flocking to the establishment since it opened last spring.

“We are constantly rotating stock, and, if you’ve heard of it, well, we likely have it,” said Wewer about beers with such diverse names as Funky Monkey Wild Ale, Monkshine Belgian Blonde and Wewer’s current favorite—Sassamanash Cranberry Ale, a witbier-style quaff from Rivertowne Brewing just outside of Pittsburgh.

“Sassamanash is the native American word for cranberry,” Wewer explains.

Creativity Inside

When you first set foot in the spacious restaurant, you’ll hardly know where to first fix your gaze.

Chalk renderings of Stephen King, Ernest Hemingway and Thomas Edison, matched with pithy quotes encouraging indulgence, demand attention, cleverly steering the eyes to daily specials listed on butcher paper on a wall-mounted roll. Nearby is a selection of board games ready for play, along with a life-size Jenga game, an oversized Connect Four game and the ever-popular foosball.

Much of what Wewer has used for the décor has been repurposed or “upcycled.” So, whether you call it rustic or industrial chic, all he knows is that it seems to work. People enjoy the space, from the wooden cable spools he acquired and refinished into tables to the reclaimed wood from a mushroom barn that he used to frame out the windows. Wewer is nothing if not self-sufficient.

“I had a limited amount of money and knew how to do all these things,” he said, describing how he first had to remove all the nails in the spools, once used by an electric company. “So many nails.”

Little touches add visual appeal, like varnished bottle caps set in the middle of the spool tables.

With décor choices and implementation complete, Wewer set his sights on the cuisine.

“I have creativity inside of me that I need to get out,” he said.

Using that creativity, he put his own riff on dishes like pizza, adding literary names to his unique pies.

“Catcher in the Pie,” for instance, is a margherita pie with toasted barley; “Lord of the Pies” pops with flavorful pepperoni and hop sausage; and “As I Lay Pie-ing” puts a gourmet twist to the humble peasant fare, adding bacon and truffle marmalade, Millwood Farm’s blue cheese, Cascade hop sausage and hop-marinated local mushrooms.

During my visit, I tasted the popular “Jekyll + Hyde,” made with malt-braised pork, capicola, homemade pickles, shaved red onion, Keswick Tommenator cheese and house sauce. Of course, the question that was uppermost in my mind was—pickles on pizza?

Fear not folks, the ingredients work in perfect harmony to create a flavorful composition that keeps you yearning for that next piece.

Decadent & Delicious

Brad Moyer, general manager at Scotzin Brothers in Lemoyne, said that Grain + Verse filled a void in the area.

“We needed a central location for really awesome food and beer, and no one does it with an artisanal and passionate twist like Wewer.”

As for his favorite dish, Moyer opts for the Cubano sandwich, which he says pairs well with practically any of the beers, whether stouts, IPAs or even sours.

Brandalynn Armstrong, owner of Zeroday Brewing Co. in Harrisburg, vouches for Wewer’s cooking chops.

“I call him the kitchen karate kid,” she said, laughing.

The two collaborated on a firkin that came about one night when she was enjoying a cocktail at the Garlic Poet restaurant next door (which Wewer also oversees) and mentioned that she enjoyed the flavor of an Italian cherry liqueur called Luxardo.

“He suggested that it would go well with our chocolate hazelnut sweet stout, and we tapped it at Grain + Verse,” said Armstrong, who’s a big fan of the sour beer pickles Wewer makes. “They’re delicious,” she said.

As for her favorite dish, one memorable evening, Armstrong had the opportunity to try a duck egg/foie gras pizza. “It was decadent and delicious,” she said.

Wewer is committed to using as many local ingredients as possible. Besides Zeroday, he works with area purveyors like Keswick Creamery, De Glae Organic Farm, Hope Springs Farm, Hidden Hills Dairy and Strites Orchard, to name just a few. And he can’t say enough about the produce from the Steel High aquaponics program.

“I use a variety of ingredients from them—arugula, bok-choy, basil, cucamelons—very vibrant stuff,” he said. “Kids are in there every single day, nurturing it.”

As for the future, you get the idea that this isn’t Wewer’s swansong—for a restless, creative mind, there are always more verses on the horizon. He hints at an expansion, but only time will tell.

Grain + Verse is located at 148 Sheraton Dr., New Cumberland. For more information, call 717-317-3044 or visit www.grainandverse.com.

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like