Mayor, County Agency Strike Deal on Tourism Dollars

November 23, 2015 | by Paul Barker

Images from the Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau’s “Find Your Way Here” marketing campaign, which was launched earlier this month without the involvement of city officials.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse and the county tourism bureau today announced a four-year, $620,000 agreement to fund city marketing efforts, marking the first long-term compromise in nearly two years of an often bitter dispute over tourism dollars.

The agreement will provide the city $95,000 in sponsorships each year to promote four main Harrisburg events: the 4^th of July festivities, the Kipona festival in September, the November holiday parade and the New Year’s Eve celebrations. The bureau will also spend $60,000 on direct marketing of these events each year.

Mary Smith, the bureau’s director, described the four events as the city’s “large, annual, signature events” and said that marketing them formed a key part of Harrisburg’s tourism strategy.

The agreement modifies an earlier request by Papenfuse for the bureau to fund two city hires, a marketing director and a web content manager, which he had said would build necessary capacity at city hall. Papenfuse said these hires would still form a part of his 2016 budget, which he is set to present to City Council Tuesday.

Officially, the bureau’s $95,000 annual commitment will be characterized as a sponsorship, though Papenfuse said the city is treating it as money that will fund the hires. The sponsorship characterization, he said, will address the bureau’s concern that its tourism dollars not be used for purposes other than traditional marketing.

The bureau had concerns about agreements that “set us up for any one of our partners to say, ‘Hey, we need a person,’” Smith said. “That’s where approaching it as a sponsorship really does make sense.”

The $95,000 in sponsorships will be funded as direct grants from the bureau’s budget, while the $60,000 in ads will come out of hotel tax money earmarked for spending on the city.

The agreement marks a compromise on a proposal Papenfuse put forward earlier this month during revived negotiations with the bureau, after the bureau launched its own marketing campaign created without the input or approval of city officials.

Addressing the mayor’s demand for city involvement, the bureau and Papenfuse also announced Monday that they have agreed to reconstitute a city marketing committee, which will include two city representatives.

The bureau, whose full name is the Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau, is the agency designated by the county to promote area tourism. It crafted its campaign over a six-month period, with input from downtown and Midtown businesses.

The campaign, under the slogan “Find Your Way Here,” broadcast an image of Harrisburg as a hip, off-the-beaten-path destination for millennials on a website and in a series of billboard and radio ads.

Papenfuse sharply critiqued the campaign, saying it was out of touch and insulting to demographic groups other than millennials. He also accused the bureau of having developed the campaign in secret, betraying what he said was an agreement to freeze city marketing dollars until a spending plan could be negotiated.

Monday’s compromise will leave the “Find Your Way Here” campaign intact, though it will be guided in future months by the newly constituted committee. Papenfuse expressed a hope that the city’s involvement would improve the campaign.

The mayor and the bureau have been battling over tourism spending since late 2013, when the newly elected Papenfuse learned about a 15-year commitment to use marketing dollars to subsidize the National Civil War Museum in Reservoir Park.

The commitment, inked under former Mayor Stephen Reed, locked the city into a long-term subsidy of the museum out of a portion of a tax on visitors to area hotels.

Papenfuse wanted the bureau to cut off the subsidy, saying it was draining resources meant to be spent on marketing the city as a whole. The bureau declined, saying it was legally obligated to pass the money to the museum.

The ensuing stalemate appears to have reached an end with Monday’s announcement, with both the mayor and the bureau describing it as a win for both parties. “We really do feel this is a great deal,” Smith said.

TheBurg Podcast, Nov. 20, 2015

November 20, 2015 | by Admin

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

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

Nov. 20, 2015: In this week’s “Utility Edition,” Larry and Paul talk about improvements at the site of the Harrisburg incinerator, a new rule on “woody waste,” and the 2016 water and sewer rates approved by Capital Region Water. They also give a farewell to the Uptown Chicago Grill at 2nd and Maclay and chat about some really antiquated light circuits in city hall. Can you guess which of these were the Most Harrisburg Thing This Week?

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 now subscribe to TheBurg podcast in iTunes!

Hallmark to Close, Among Many Changes in Strawberry Square

November 20, 2015 | by Lawrance Binda

Part of Strawberry Square in Harrisburg.

A retail era is coming to a close in Harrisburg, as the Strawberry Patch Hallmark store is slated to close in January.

Owners Ed and Linda Baer have informed Harristown Enterprises that they plan to retire and so will not renew their lease after 36 years in business. The couple have operated their store in Strawberry Square since 1979, said Brad Jones, CEO of Harristown, which owns and manages the downtown, mixed-use complex.

“We are sorry to see them go, but understand that they wish to retire after all these years,” said Jones.

Jones acknowledged that retail has become increasingly challenging for brick-and-mortar stores, which must compete with online vendors. Nonetheless, he said that Harristown is seeking, but has not yet found, a new tenant for the large, prominent space on the main floor.

He also characterized the store’s departure as part of the ongoing evolution of Strawberry Square.

Built in the 1970s, Strawberry Square was designed as office and retail space to better compete with suburban malls, which then were in vogue. However, as that style of shopping has gone out of fashion, it has tried to change with the times, responding to new types of demand, he said.

For instance, Best Friends Day Care recently moved into another large retail space, one long occupied by apparel retailer Dressbarn. Also, a large swath of Strawberry Square along Market and 3rd streets is being converted from offices to 22 high-end apartments, the first residential units in the complex as interest in downtown living has grown. In addition, a Little Amps Coffee Roasters kiosk opened last week on the main floor, responding to the influx of 900 state workers into the former Verizon Tower building.

Harristown also said that about 200 employees with Deloitte Consulting and Deloitte Advisory soon will move into about 20,000 square feet of space at 30 N. 3rd St. And, recently, RGS Associates and Sellers Dorsey announced their intention to take space in Strawberry Square.

“We continue to adapt to the changes in the market,” said Jones.

The Hallmark store owners plan a retirement sale, said Jones, so shoppers should look for that in January.

Click here for more information about Strawberry Square.

Harrisburg Announces New Rules for “Woody Waste”

November 20, 2015 | by Lawrance Binda

Sanitation workers remove leaves along N. 2nd Street in Harrisburg.

Harrisburg today issued new rules and guidelines for “woody waste,” which includes brush, bark and limbs.

Until Jan. 1, the city will collect this waste on street-cleaning days. It must be picked up separately from the regular trash because it has been banned from the incinerator, said the city.

Earlier in the fall, the city administration asked residents to put out leaf waste separate from the regular trash. On street cleaning days, Harrisburg now collects leaves that has been placed in compostable bags, which is then sent to Swatara Township’s composting facility.

The city also announced that it will pick up Christmas trees left at curbside from Jan. 1 to Jan. 30.

The city’s full press release, with more detailed guidelines, follows:

CITY ANNOUNCES NEW GUIDELINES FOR BRUSH AND WOODY WASTE COLLECTIONS

Harrisburg, PA – The City of Harrisburg’s Public Works Department is notifying residents of immediate changes in collection of brush and woody waste.

“The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has notified the City that we can no longer bring brush and branches to the former Harrisburg incinerator for disposal,” said Mayor Eric Papenfuse. “This means we must institute new procedures for collecting brush, branches, limbs and other woody waste that was usually collected with trash.”

From Nov. 21, 2015 until Jan. 1, 2016, residents should set out their branches, limbs and woody waste separately from trash on street cleaning day, which now occurs twice each month during street cleaning seasons.

Branches are to be cut in lengths not to exceed four (4) feet, and tied securely in bundles not to exceed two (2) feet thick.

A City truck will collect the branches, limbs and woody waste and deliver them to the City’s Public Works yard at 1820 Paxton Street, Harrisburg. There, the City will grind the materials into wood chips, place the wood chips in a truck and deliver the materials to the compost site located in Swatara Township.

The City is investigating plans to site its own yard waste composting and management facility. Once the new City compost site is up and running, these materials may be delivered directly to the new composting site for storage and processing.

Processing is expected to include chipping or grinding of the materials, with potential recycling/use of the mulch end-product by the City.

Residents will be able to set out branches, limbs and woody waste during street cleaning days until January 1, when scheduled street cleaning stops for the snow/plowing season.

According to the new guidelines:

From January 1 of each year, until street cleaning again recommences (typically in Spring/Summer), residents may drop off bundles of branches, limbs and woody waste to the Public Works Yard at 1820 Paxton St.

Public Works staff will receive the materials, grind them, and truck them to the Swatara Township composting site (until the new compost site is in operation, when trucks may deliver these materials directly to the new compost site for processing).

Seasonal Christmas tree collection and handling will continue to occur under the current program, as follows:

From January 1 through January 30, the City Highway Department will collect Christmas trees set out at the curb by residents and will take them to the Swatara Township compost site for storage/processing.

TheBurg Podcast, Nov. 13, 2015

November 13, 2015 | by Admin

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

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

Nov. 13, 2015: This week, Larry and Paul talk about the roll-out of two new front-end loaders, the latest additions to the city’s incrementally improving sanitation fleet. They also talk about how the mayor and council don’t seem to be singing “All Together Now” on city finances, before debuting a new podcast segment, “The Most Harrisburg Thing This Week.”

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 now subscribe to TheBurg podcast in iTunes!

Spit Take: The unsolved spitting mystery behind a curious council bill.

November 13, 2015 | by Paul Barker

A public health poster from the Spanish flu era, circa 1919. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

A bill recently proposed by a City Council member, to lift a ban on spitting in public buildings, looked strange when it appeared on a legislative agenda last Tuesday. Was there really a pro-spit lobby? And why had it come to Harrisburg?

But stranger still is the story behind the ordinance, which was drafted at the request of Councilwoman Shamaine Daniels.

Daniels, a first-termer who chairs council’s building and housing committee, said she requested the legislation after a constituent came to her in late August, complaining he’d been cited under an obscure health code against public spitting.

The constituent, Sheldon Grier, had visited the city clerk’s office towing a stack of citations, at least some of them under a code that prohibits spitting “upon the floor of public buildings or buildings used for public assemblage or in buses or any other public conveyance.”

The rule is one of several in a miscellaneous section of the city’s health laws, which also prohibits urinating or defecating on public property, using or selling lead breast shields, and polishing silverware with cyanide or other poisons.

Grier, 56, had not been cited in person, Daniels said. Indeed, Dave Patton, the city’s codes administrator, said that such citations are filed remotely and electronically.

Patton also said the officer whose name appears on the citations, Joseph Farrell, never cited Grier for spitting. He said Farrell had only cited Grier at various times for derelict properties he owned that violated building codes. How Farrell’s name wound up on any spitting citation is a mystery, he said.

In any case, Grier had the assistant clerk pass a message along to Daniels, noting that he felt he had been the victim of “unfair targeting.” After speaking with him, Daniels learned that Grier had once spent several days in jail as a result of his citations.

Whether the alleged expectoration itself actually landed Grier behind bars is not clear. Court records show that he spent several days locked up in April 2002, after being charged with public nuisance and reckless endangerment.

A separate docket, however, shows that a warrant for the same charges and same offense date, Jan. 1, 1999, was served in August of this year. The records show that those charges were ultimately withdrawn in October.

A senior clerk at the court of district judge Marsha C. Stewart said an officer had come and withdrawn the charges after determining the details were exactly the same as the case from 2002.

Grier had spent six days in jail in 2002 because he couldn’t afford bail, the clerk said. She also read out a statement of the charges, which described failing to secure a collapsing Market Street building Grier owned but made no mention of spitting.

The clerk said she was not sure why the 1999 incident would have resulted in two warrants, one of which was never discharged. She said it was possible that a prior clerk had accidentally entered the information twice in the court’s computer system.

Grier could not be reached. But a former landlord of his, Brad Boyer, who rented to Grier around the time he was charged, recalled that “the city came down on him for his condemned properties, even though every other property on the block looked just like his.” Grier was a “very good guy” and a good tenant, Boyer added.

The incident sent Daniels on an ongoing quest to find out who charged Grier for spitting—if anyone actually did. In the meantime, she introduced the ordinance to repeal the spit ban, saying she felt it was one of several outdated city ordinances whose punishments don’t suit their crimes.

Council did not vote Tuesday on the bill, after Daniels withdrew it at the last minute. Fellow council members weren’t interested, because they “see it as politicizing spitting in public,” she said.

TheBurg Podcast, Nov. 6, 2015

November 6, 2015 | by Admin

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

Nov. 6, 2015: This week, Larry and Paul talk about the “Find Your Way Here” city marketing campaign, which the tourism bureau unveiled Thursday night with or without – OK, without – the mayor’s blessing. Then they discuss a stalled development in Midtown, the results of Tuesday’s municipal election and Paul’s November feature on the defunct revolving loan fund.

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

TheBurg Podcast can be downloaded by clicking on the date above or by visiting the iTunes store. You can also access the podcast via its host page.

TheBurg Podcast, Oct. 30, 2015

October 30, 2015 | by Admin

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

Oct. 30, 2015: This week, Larry and Paul nurse a trick-or-treating hangover by talking about the ongoing negotiations between Mayor Papenfuse and the tourism bureau and another court ruling on the lawsuits over the city’s gun laws. Plus, a call for help from Harrisburg police on an unsolved murder, a new Burg issue and the city’s first distillery since Prohibition (we think).

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

TheBurg Podcast can be downloaded by clicking on the date above or by visiting the iTunes store. You can also access the podcast via its host page.

Conflict and Interests: Is confrontation an effective governing strategy?

October 30, 2015 | by Lawrance Binda

Illustration by Rich Hauck

A few years back, then-ordinary citizen Eric Papenfuse introduced me to the works of Paul Beers.

Papenfuse had selected a series of essays by the former Patriot-News columnist as the inaugural title for his just-formed Midtown Scholar Press, and, to celebrate the book’s publication, held a series of events at his bookstore.

At the time, I had scant knowledge of Beers, who had recently died, having left the newspaper business some years earlier. The book, “City Contented, City Discontented,” reprinted a series of columns that he had penned for the Patriot, each one transformed into a short, punchy book chapter that offered a tutorial (with Beers’ cynical slant) of the city’s history over about 100 years.

It’s all there: the rapid rise, the concentrated wealth, the struggles, the flood, the fall. But, to me, the most fascinating chapters were near the end, the ones that focused on former Mayor Steve Reed.

Reed had been mayor for just two years when Beers wrote his last column, but he captured perfectly both the promise and the peril of the man who eventually would reign for seven terms.

“This columnist has heard hundreds of curbstone and barroom opinions that place Reed anywhere between Herod and St. John the Divine, but never a satisfactory explanation of who the man is,” Beers wrote.

He went on to point out what he considered to be Reed’s virtues—a quick mind, an unfettered optimism, confidence, creativity and a commitment to hard work—as well as his perceived faults—an all-knowing attitude, a stubbornness, a Machiavellian streak and a predilection for conflict over compromise.

Beers described a man of extremes, one who possessed both great strengths and tremendous weaknesses. So, Reed was a whirlwind of action, but was given to impetuousness and lack of preparation. He was pragmatic, yet “mulish.” He had sound ideas, but possessed an “irritating all-knowingness.” He wasn’t taken by flattery, but always insisted on asserting himself as the smartest man in the room.

Beers would not be the last journalist to analyze (psychoanalyze?) Steve Reed, but I think it’s fair to say that, over time, Reed allowed his weaknesses to overwhelm his strengths. By the end, he was left fighting a rearguard action to keep the city from financial collapse, his most evident traits no longer his optimism or his ability to get things done, but his arrogance, pugnaciousness and tendency to blame anyone but himself.

We’re now almost two years into the tenure of Mayor Papenfuse, the man who encouraged me to read “City Contented, City Discontented.” In other words, we’re at about the same place in his mayoralty as when Beers wrote about Reed.

I have stated in the past that Papenfuse and Reed are very different men, and, indeed, they are. Whereas Reed was condescending and didactic, Papenfuse is more frank, straightforward and accessible. Whereas Reed was obsessed with a pharaonic vision of great projects at tremendous cost, Papenfuse believes that putting the city on a sustainable financial course is about the best thing he can do.

I find, however, that these two different men (and, let’s face it, bitter enemies) do have some things in common. Both are whip-smart and are willing to take big risks; both can be obstinate and perhaps too quick to make enemies.

“The mayor can be divisive, accusatory and possessive, an infighter who often prefers confrontation to conciliation,” Beers wrote of Reed.

More than 30 years later, largely the same can be said of Papenfuse.

In his columns, Beers tells of an early (now largely forgotten) battle over a new convention-grade hotel for Harrisburg. The circa-1983 brawl pitted Reed against two of the city’s most important actors and power centers, Harristown Enterprises and City Council, in a struggle over how to construct and finance what would become the Hilton Harrisburg.

That skirmish reminded me of the current contretemps over the National Civil War Museum. Papenfuse believes deeply that the museum is a liability—that it takes money from the city and gives little in return. He’s even called the museum “a monument to corruption” and said it should be shut down entirely.

His fight against the museum, however, has not gone over well with other powerful players, including the county commissioners, the regional visitor’s bureau and some key business leaders. The heat was turned up further last month when the visitor’s bureau said it would use its share of hotel tax money to implement, without the administration’s involvement, a marketing plan for the city, leading Papenfuse to denounce both the bureau and the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC.

While I respect Papenfuse’s position on the museum, I don’t believe that this issue (and the use of hotel tax money in general) is worth going to the mat for, poisoning relationships with people and entities that the city needs as its allies.

His relationships with certain City Council members have become similarly fraught. Papenfuse and council President Wanda Williams can hardly hide their mutual contempt, and his rapport with the school board is also bad.

When Papenfuse first became mayor, he went on something of a goodwill tour, saying he wanted to have friendly relationships with everyone.

At the time, I told my colleague: “Don’t be fooled. That old firebrand is still in there.” And, increasingly, Papenfuse has shown little patience for those he believes cooperated too much with Reed, facilitating the city’s demise, or for those he believes stand in the way of his initiatives now.

“This Harrisburger should be honored for having some of the enemies he has,” Beers said of Reed.

Papenfuse is making enemies quickly. Should he be honored, as Beers suggested with Reed? Is embracing conflict a sustainable strategy for getting things done?

If there is a lesson to be learned from the Steve Reed years, it may be this: Build upon your strengths, minimize your weaknesses and don’t let your flaws come to define you.

Lawrance Binda is editor-in-chief of TheBurg.

Community Corner: Notable Events in November

October 30, 2015 | by TheBurg Editor

November Community Corner

Leads Over Lunch
Nov. 3: Mix and mingle with business leaders at this free lunch hosted by Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC, at AACA Museum, 161 Museum Dr., Hershey, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, visit harrisburgregionalchamber.org.

Religion and Pop Culture
Nov. 3: Gregory Alan Thornbury, president of The King’s College, will address the topic “Kanye’s Temple: The Hyper-Religiosity of Pop Culture” at 7:30 p.m. in Parmer Hall, in the Calvin and Janet High Center for Worship and Performing Arts at Messiah College. Admission is free, but a ticket is required. For tickets, call 717-691-6036 or visit messiah.edu/tickets.

Economic Forecast Luncheon
Nov. 4: The West Shore Chamber and People’s Bank will host the Economic Forecast Luncheon, an annual event featuring an economic expert to share insights on the previous year and predict trends for the upcoming year. The event takes place at the Radisson Hotel Harrisburg in Camp Hill. Cost is $35 for members and $45 for nonmembers. For more, visit westshorepacoc.com.

Art Lecture
Nov. 5: The Susquehanna Art Museum and Southeastern Pennsylvania Section of the American Chemical Society present “Scientific Analysis of Triumph of David,” a lecture by Dr. Anthony Lagalante about the restoration of Villanova University’s 17^th century masterpiece, 7 p.m. at the museum. Advance tickets are $5; space permitting, tickets will be $8 at the door. Visit sqart.org for more information.

Friends of Wildwood Meeting
Nov. 5: Friends of Wildwood holds its annual meeting, which will review the past year’s activities then present “Herons in the Hood” with guest speaker Pam Parson. The event, which is open to the public, takes place at 6 p.m. at the Olewine Nature Center. More information is at wildwoodlake.org.

Biocontrols School
Nov. 5-6: Penn State Extension Cumberland County will host its third annual BioControls School at Lancaster Farm and Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Rd., Lancaster, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The program is designed to help organic and conventional farmers build expertise in effective biological control of insects, mites and diseases. The cost is $145 per person until Nov. 3, after which the cost is $175. Registration for single days is also available at $95. For additional information and to register online, visit extension.psu.edu/vegetable-fruit/events.

Dedication and Dinner
Nov. 6: Cedar Cliff High School JROTC, Camp Hill, will host a Heroes’ Landing, honoring Cedar Cliff graduates who died in the armed forces, at 2 p.m. at the Cedar Cliff High School Auditorium. The 5th Annual Veterans Day Spaghetti Dinner will follow from 4:45 to 6:45 p.m. Veterans are free and guests are $7. For more information, call 717-737-8654, extension 223.

Market Square Concert
Nov. 7: Pianist and composer Michael Brown and cellist Nickolas Canellakis will perform “Sonata for Cello and Piano” by Rachmaninoff and compositions by Mendelssohn, Schumann and Janáček at Market Square Presbyterian Church, 20 S. 2^nd St., Harrisburg, 8 p.m. For tickets, visit marketsquareconcerts.org or call 717-214-ARTS or 717-221-9599. Remaining tickets available at the door.

Self-Directed Education
Nov. 8: The Circle School will host a free multi-media presentation and panel discussion from 2 to 4 p.m. to introduce children, teenagers, parents and educators to self-directed education. Refreshments will be served and limited childcare is available. Event takes place at the school, 210 Oakleigh Ave., Harrisburg. Visit CircleSchool.org or call 717-564-6700 to register.

Second Sunday at the Mansion
Nov. 8: The Historical Society of Dauphin County will host a presentation on Simon Cameron by the Rev. Robert Lescallette, 2:30 p.m. A suggested donation of $5 is requested. Admission is free for members of the Historical Society. A guided tour of the Harris-Cameron Mansion will be offered at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Free parking is available. For more information, call Nicole McMullen Smith at 717-233-3462.

Young People and Politics
Nov. 9: Pennsylvania Women’s Forum presents “Why Young People Pass on Politics and How to Engage Them,” a conversation with Jennifer Lawless, Ph.D., at Widener University Commonwealth Law School, Harrisburg, 12 to 1 p.m. Admission is $15; students are $10. Register at pawomensforum.org.

Narrow Gauge Railway Presentation
Nov. 10: Harrisburg Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society will host Trains Magazine correspondent Wayne Laepple, who will discuss and present photos of the 2-foot gauge Wiscasset Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum, one of Maine’s legendary “two-footers” at Hoss’s Restaurant, 743 Wertzville Rd., Enola. Business meeting and speaker begin at 7 p.m., with a meal available as early as 5 p.m. For more information, contact Sloan Auchincloss at 717-238-2131.

2015 Business Expo
Nov. 12: The Harrisburg Regional Chamber and CREDC will host the 29^th annual Business Expo at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex, 2300 N. Cameron St., Harrisburg, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bring your business card for free admission; without a business card, admission is $5. Visit www.harrisburgregionalchamber.org for more information.

Foreign Film Friday
Nov. 13: Join Fredricksen Library for “The Attack,” a film about an Israeli-Palestinian surgeon, fully assimilated into Tel Aviv society, whose life turns upside down after a suicide bombing in a restaurant leaves 19 dead. Two showings are scheduled for 2 and 7 p.m. Rated R. Visit fredricksenlibrary.org.

The King’s Singers
Nov. 13-14:Lebanon Valley College will host The King’s Singers, one of the world’s premier all-male a cappella groups, for a two-day campus residency.The residency includes a free concert on Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. in Lutz Hall of Blair Music Center, two workshops on Nov. 14 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and a group sing-along at 3:20 p.m. For more information, visit www.lvc.edu.

Volunteer Work Day
Nov. 14: Help beautify Wildwood Park by volunteering for a few hours. Meet at the Nature Center starting at 10 a.m. Snacks, tools and gloves provided. Visit wildwoodlake.org.

FAB 2015
Nov. 14: LGBT Center of Central PA hosts its annual Fall Achievement Benefit, which is a principal fundraiser for the center. The black-tie optional evening features a silent auction, a cocktail hour, awards and more at the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Place, 25 S. Queen St., Lancaster. For more information, visit fab.centralpalgbtcenter.org.

Cartoon Presentation
Nov. 15: The Harrisburg Jewish Film Festival will host “Very Semi-Serious,” a documentary about the cartoons and cartoonists of The New Yorker magazine, with guest speaker Mort Gerberg, at the Jewish Community Center, 3301 N. Front St., Harrisburg, 6 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door. For more information, visit www.hbgjff.com.

Business Networking Mixer
Nov. 17: Join the Central Pennsylvania Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce for a business networking mixer with Harrisburg Gay Men’s Chorus and Central Pennsylvania Womyn’s Chorus at the Krevsky Center, Theatre Harrisburg, 513 Hurlock St., 6 to 8 p.m. Visit cpglcc.org for more information.

Evening Mixer
Nov. 18: The West Shore Chamber of Commerce will hold its monthly evening mixer at Creative Elegance Boutique, 2129 Market St., Camp Hill. The event runs 5 to 7 p.m. Visit westshorepacoc.com for more information.

Business After Hours
Nov. 19: Mingle with business professionals at this free networking event sponsored by the Harrisburg Regional Chamber and CREDC. This month, the event takes place at Members 1st Federal Credit Union, 5000 Louise Dr., Mechanicsburg, 5 to 7 p.m. Visit harrisburgregionalchamber.org.

3rd in The Burg
Nov. 20: Enjoy the best of Harrisburg during 3rd in the Burg, the monthly arts and culture event at galleries, restaurants and art spaces throughout downtown and Midtown. Check out all the action at thirdintheburg.org.

Local Lunch
Nov. 21: Join Friends of Midtown at their monthly community lunch, which will be held at the Midtown Tavern, 1101 N. 2^nd St., Harrisburg, 12 to 2 p.m. Contact [email protected] or visit friendsofmidtown.org.

Holiday Parade
Nov. 21: “Childhood Memories” is the theme of this year’s holiday parade in Harrisburg, with the Red Land Little League Baseball team serving as grand marshal. The parade steps off at noon from City Island and winds through downtown. More information is at harrisburgpa.gov.

Wildlife Tree Ornaments
Nov. 21: Penn State Master Gardeners in Cumberland County will host a “Wildlife Tree Ornaments” workshop for youth at the Cumberland County Extension office, 310 Allen Rd., Carlisle, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Workshop fee is $5 per child. Call 717-240-6500 to register and pay ahead of time or register and pay at the door on the day of the event. Visit extension.psu.edu/cumberland.

Holiday Market
Nov. 21: Shop at the HBG Flea holiday market for gifts by local artists, artisans and vintage collectors in the Capital Ballroom@HMAC, 1110 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit hbgflea.com for more information.

Art Auction
Nov. 21: Support the cause of art and arts education in Harrisburg at an auction to benefit Sprocket MuralWorks, CASA & Jump Street. Both silent and public art auctions will be held, 5 to 8 p.m., at The Millworks, 340 Verbeke St., with all funds going to the three groups. More information is at millworksharrisburg.com.

Silent Auction
Nov. 21: Join Fredricksen Library, 100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill, for its annual silent auction, 1 to 4 p.m. Items up for bid include books, children’s items, gift certificates, artwork, travel and restaurant gift cards. More at fredricksenlibrary.org.

American Foreign Policy
Nov. 23: Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns will speak on “American Foreign Policy in the 21^st Century” at the West Shore Country Club in Camp Hill. Hosted by the Foreign Policy Association of Harrisburg, this event includes a reception at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $35; reservations deadline is Nov. 9. Visit fpa-harrisburg.org.

Small Biz Saturday
Nov. 28: Celebrate Harrisburg’s local businesses on Small Business Saturday with a trip to the Broad Street Market. Friends of Midtown will have for sale its new 2016 Shop Midtown Coupon Book, full of bargains from local businesses, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit the Friends of Midtown Facebook page or friendsofmidtown.org.

Odd Ones
Nov. 28: The Odd Ones Bizarre returns for its 10^th year, offering fun, funky and handcrafted items for the holiday season. Dozens of crafters and creators will sell their wares at The Millworks, 340 Verbeke St., Harrisburg, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit the Facebook page: Odd Ones Holiday Bizarre.

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