The Last Stitch: After more than 2 decades, renowned costume designer Gwen Alsedek retires from Open Stage.

June 30, 2015 | by Barbara Trainin Blank

There’s an advantage to retiring from theater when you love to watch theater.

Since 1993, when Gwen Alsedek became resident costume designer at Open Stage of Harrisburg—the professional downtown theater established 10 years earlier by her older brother, Donald, his wife, Anne, and Marianne Fischer—she’s been too occupied behind the scenes to be in the audience very often.

Now that Alsedek is retiring, she expects to spend more hours on the other side of the lights.

“I love to go to the theater, and I love being part of an audience,” she said.

Her professional affiliation with Open Stage actually began in 1991, when she costume-designed “Nora,” Ingmar Bergman’s take on Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House,” as a freelancer.

Early on in her tenure, she costumed such diverse plays as “Harvey,” about an imaginary rabbit, and “The Lioness of Berry,” about writer George Sand. Sometimes, she both stage-managed and designed costumes.

Fittingly, she wrapped up her career at Open Stage last month with “Stories from Home: People Who Care,” a celebration of those who have worked hard to make Harrisburg a better place.

“When I look back, I’m amazed how many shows I’ve done and how many the theater has done,” she said. “I wanted to be here because of the plays.”

Coming Home

If not for a family crisis, Alsedek might not have returned to her native Harrisburg. She was a visiting artist at Hofstra University in Long Island when her mother became ill.

“I knew she needed help, so I came home,” she said.

Meanwhile, Open Stage was growing and changing. It had moved from a tiny location in Elizabethtown to its present venue on Walnut Street in Harrisburg, and Alsedek found herself more and more “entrenched.”

“It’s pretty amazing to do in your hometown and make a living doing what you studied,” she said. “As a graduate student, I wrote in my final paper how much I was looking forward to a theater family. Literally, I found it.”

Alsedek studied costume design at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, which is affiliated with the Missouri Repertory Theatre (now Kansas City Rep).

Over the years, she accumulated wonderful experiences and memories. She rattles off the names of many shows, always with awareness that she might be leaving something major out. She mentions “’Master Harold’ . . . and the Boys,” “A Trip to Bountiful,” “Glengarry Glen Ross” and “The Laramie Project,” among others.

“The Big Bang Theory” was particularly memorable, because, as Alsedek described it, “all things had to turn into other things.” There was “The Immigrant,” in which she also performed and “got to wear these cute little outfits.”

The costume designer also had a cameo in Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”—it took longer for her to get dressed for the part than the time she was onstage.

Alsedek did both the sets and costumes for “The Threepenny Opera,” which remains one of her favorites.

“I love the work of composer Kurt Weill and librettist Berthold Brecht,” she said.

Dynamo

Alsedek’s career at Open Stage has been nothing if not diverse.

Over the years, she has designed for “I Am My Own Wife,” about a transgendered German who survived Nazi and Communist rule, all the way to “Crowns,” a soul-stirring Gospel musical, which meant a lot of hats for the church ladies.

Two annual productions, “A Christmas Carol” and “The Diary of Anne Frank,” gave Alsedek the opportunity to dress (and wig) many different casts over the years.

She recalls actors and staffers, including the late Jim Woland, set designer for the theater, whose talents she admired and whose company she enjoyed. “It’s special if everyone is committed to a project 100 percent,” Alsedek said.

Though she seems like a quiet, one-woman dynamo, Alsedek didn’t work totally alone. She had volunteer helpers “along the way” who came in and sewed with her, especially mothers from the “Christmas Carol” casts.

Then I asked her the obvious question: Is it easier or more stressful to work with family?

She responded that the experience has been overwhelmingly positive. She and brother Don had previously been co-workers in their family restaurant. And, she said, they share the “same work ethic and the same tastes” and get along well.

“I sort of knew what he wanted, and we were always on the same page,” Alsedek explained. “It was very collaborative, but Don gave me full artistic license. We agreed on the message we’re putting out and how to get it out.”

The two siblings also have a younger brother, who is not in theater but whom Alsedek calls “very artistic.”

Other than seeing more theater, Alsedek prefers to remain a little vague about her future plans, including where she may end up living. She does say, “there’ll be some trips and visiting people—both were difficult to pull off,” while working full-time-plus—and there will be “no deadlines.”

Alsedek acknowledges she’ll “truly miss” tech week, when all the elements, all the artists, come together and the play gels.

“There is always a certain wonder in that magical week before the show opens,” she said.

She’ll also think with nostalgia about the “dark, quiet theater with only the sounds of the artists at work. It can be very spiritual.”

Speaking of “spiritual,” she expects to devote more time to her hobby of a decade—studying and creating the sacred art of Byzantine iconography. While today the term is most closely associated with wooden panel painting, in Byzantium, icons could be crafted in many media, including ivory.

Alsedek also hopes to spend more time outdoors—she loves the seashore and mountains and once was an active kayaker.

Unequivocally, though, Alsedek says she’s “really happy” the time for retirement has come.

What message does she have for other costume designers? Ironically, she said, the greatest satisfaction often comes when their work isn’t noticed.

“If clothes don’t get in the way, if people don’t think about it, but about the acting and what a great show it was, I’ve done my job,” she said. “I’m there to support the actors.”

To learn more about Open Stage of Harrisburg, visit www.openstagehbg.com.

Free Ride: One City Island business hasn’t paid rent in more than 5 years. Is Harrisburg finally ready to crack the whip?

June 30, 2015 | by Paul Barker

In 1975, Fred Lamke, the son of a Harrisburg police officer and graduate of John Harris High, graduated from Point Park University in Pittsburgh with a journalism degree and returned to the city to look for a job.

“It was the kind of economy just like we just had,” he recalled, in an interview in 2013. He had an offer to work as a reporter for a local radio station, at $110 per week—or to drive a beer truck for more than double that amount. “So I took the job in the beer business,” he said. He spent a few years in the industry, later working as a manager and a salesman, before eventually buying a tavern off Paxton Street with his family.

One day, Lamke, who had minored in business, approached his father with an idea. “I said to my father, ‘You know what Harrisburg doesn’t have? Harrisburg doesn’t have any horse-drawn conveyance.’ He said, ‘Were you drinking?’ I said, ‘Well, yeah, I was drinking.’ He said, ‘Well, go sober up.’” But Lamke continued to nurse the idea, convinced it could work in the city. He eventually befriended an Amish man at a carriage auction who agreed to give him driving lessons. After a year and a half of training, he bought a horse and a vis-à-vis, a style of carriage in which passengers sit facing each other on opposite benches. In May 1984, Lamke registered the Harrisburg Carriage Company with the state corporations bureau.

Over the next few years, the business grew. By the summer of 1991, according to an article in the Patriot-News, the company had five horses and three carriages. That April, it had also moved to a new home—a carriage house newly constructed on City Island, which Lamke shared with the police department’s mounted patrol. In the several years prior, then-Mayor Stephen Reed had made the revitalization of the island, which he once described as a “long unused and blighted 63-acre land mass,” a major priority. A visitor pamphlet from the early 1990s highlighted the many facets of the island’s revival: a riverboat, a miniature golf course, a nature walk, the Senators baseball team. Among the photos was a shot of the carriage house at sunset, a crisply painted white carriage in the foreground being drawn by a sleek brown horse.

The company is the city’s only horse-drawn carriage service, and three decades after its founding, it remains something of a Harrisburg institution. It maintains an active Facebook page, where it posts photos of the occasional customer, most often a bride and groom or a couple who just got engaged on the ride. In September, one of Lamke’s carriages bore the coffin of Elijah Massey, a retired city police captain, in his funeral procession. “Fabulous people and lovely horses,” one person wrote in a five-star review. “Harrisburg is a beautiful location for a ride along the river.”

Yet the company’s relationship with the city, especially in recent years, has been far from ideal. Last month, in response to inquiries by TheBurg, the city furnished several records relating to the company. Together, they reveal a history of complacency and neglect dating back at least seven years. Lamke’s operating permit expired in 2008, making Mayor Eric Papenfuse’s administration the third in a row that has failed, at least so far, to renegotiate or renew it. The terms of the permit are generous—for the use of the carriage house, a nearby “corral and staging area” and multiple personal parking spaces, all of which were constructed and maintained at city expense, the Harrisburg Carriage Company pays a monthly fee of $100. (As a point of reference, the monthly rate for a single City Island parking space is $125.) Nonetheless, in 2010, after Mayor Linda Thompson took office, Lamke stopped paying this fee; he is currently more than $6,000 in arrears.

Part of the problem is a willful confusion of government and business functions. Lamke has been a city employee for nearly as long as he has provided carriage rides—he started working as Harrisburg’s animal control officer in 1985. He appears to use the carriage house as a remote office; both of the city’s animal-control trucks are frequently parked outside, whether or not he’s on duty. The city dissolved its mounted patrol unit in 2008, and since then Lamke has had exclusive use of a property that was once shared with a public entity. Papenfuse, contrasting Lamke’s permit with those of other City Island vendors, described it as “singularly problematic.” You “shouldn’t have a city employee renting from the city. Shouldn’t have a city employee in contract with the city for a private enterprise,” he told me. “That’s wrong.”

Last month, TheBurg reported on efforts to revitalize City Island. This year, the Papenfuse administration has reopened vendors’ permits, raising questions about the proper relationship between businesses and a government that wants to encourage them. The Harrisburg Carriage Company offers a case-in-point of how that relationship can go awry.

Among the records produced by the city were two letters addressed to Lamke from 2013, the last year of the Thompson administration. The first was dated Jan. 22 and signed by Brenda Alton, Thompson’s parks director. In the letter, Alton wrote she was “making a personal effort to inform myself about the businesses on City Island.” She noted Lamke’s expired permit term and the delinquent payments, but didn’t make any demands, aside from gently requesting a meeting. The second letter was signed by the city solicitor and dated in June. It described Lamke as “in default” and included language about the city’s right to evict. It’s not clear whether this second letter was ever sent; the version the city provided appears to be a draft.

“That one did not get resolved,” Alton, who left the city in early 2014, told me. “I worked with the police department, tried to get information, tried to work with Fred Lamke. I just couldn’t figure out what the relationship was.” Alton said that, in an effort to be “fiscally responsible on behalf of my department and the citizens,” she had tried to go through all of the island permits and ensure they were up-to-date. In many cases, she found the written permits unclear and gradually learned that several of the vendors had “verbal agreements” with the prior administration. She said that, in most cases, she was able to resolve her questions, but in the case of the carriage company it was “difficult to get the answers I needed.”

To some extent, the city may also have been falling short of its own obligations. The carriage house has badly deteriorated from the gleaming facility in the pamphlet from the ‘90s—the paint is peeling and dingy, vegetation sprouts from the gutters, and there’s a substantial hole in the roof, patched with plastic bags and moldering plywood. Inside, thick cobwebs hang from the rafters. It’s not obvious from the permit who should be held responsible. On the one hand, the permit refers to the company’s duty to repair any damage it causes, but on the other, it’s explicit that the house is city property and that it has been constructed at the city’s “sole expense.” Additionally, the city has neglected the fenced-in paddock the company uses for the horses’ exercise. Jenise Mattern, who volunteers at the stables six days a week, said a missing section of fence, drainage ditches leading from the ballpark and unchecked weeds have made the paddock unsuitable for the horses. “The city doesn’t keep up with it,” she said. The horses “need to get out for their health.”

This has also raised concerns about the safety and well-being of the horses. In May, I got an email from Annie Leguennec, an area resident who was worried the horses were being confined “inside their stable day and night.” A few days later, she posted complaints on the company’s Facebook page, challenging it over whether the horses received adequate time outdoors. The company, which currently keeps a total of eight horses, replied that it exercises them both in the City Island paddock and at a farm in North Annville. “For the safety of the horses, we only use the paddock on the island when there aren’t many people around,” the company wrote. (Aside from general animal cruelty provisions, there are no state laws regulating commercial providers of horse-drawn carriage services. A spokesman for the state public utility commission, which regulated the industry until 1990, said Lamke was issued a certificate in 1984 that was subsequently cancelled in 1989, after Lamke “was found guilty of failing to file his annual reports.”)

In June, after failing to reach him through visits to the carriage house and through Facebook, I reached Lamke by phone. It was around 8:30 in the evening, and he asked me to call him back in the morning, when he could give me his “full attention.” The next morning, he told me he “really can’t talk about anything.” “I’m just not permitted to talk,” he said, citing “longstanding city protocol.” I told him my questions concerned his private business, not his work as a city employee. He demurred, saying he could get fired for talking. (Joyce Davis, the city’s communications director, said there was no such prohibition; when I mentioned Lamke’s claims to Papenfuse, he said simply, “That’s not true.”)

When I first asked Papenfuse about the Harrisburg Carriage Company, he said he’d had conversations with Lamke as part of a “comprehensive review” of all the permits on the island. He described the expired permit and delinquent payments as a “bad situation” that his administration had inherited, though he also said, with regards to the city, “I don’t think we’ve lived up to our responsibilities, either.” He added that he saw the “concept of carriage rides” as a “good thing for Harrisburg.” “I think the city has some interest in hopefully preserving that,” he said. “I think once it’s gone, it’s going to be unlikely it will ever come back.” He also said he was still collecting information and asked me to follow up.

Several days later, I asked him about the company again. This time, Papenfuse said the city was on the brink of sending a letter—Lamke would be asked to fully repay his delinquent fees within 30 days or else cease operations on the island. The city would devote the proceeds to restoring the carriage house, he said, with the understanding that it needed to receive timely rent in order to keep up with maintenance on its end. Meanwhile, Lamke, like the other vendors, would be given a one-year permit renewal until new terms could be negotiated. Neil Grover, the city solicitor, referred to these permits as “holding the status quo” while the city examined the island’s economics and plans for future development.

When I spoke to Alton about the island, she expressed regret that she hadn’t been able to make more progress there. “I always thought City Island could be more and could be bringing in more revenue,” she told me. She blamed herself, saying she never seemed to have enough time, but she also thought the vendors bore some responsibility. “Everybody seemed to want their piece of the pie, but they failed to remember it was the city’s property, that some revenue needed to come back to the city.” She said she believed the island could be an attraction like Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, if it just had the right development. “But we never had the opportunity to look forward,” she said. “We were always putting out fires.”

Bringing Up Baby: Puppies are adorable, but exercise caution before adopting one.

June 30, 2015 | by Amy Powell

People often come to me seeking advice on their next dog. Sometimes, before I even have a chance to respond, they will inform me that they want a puppy.

As a Certified Pet Dog Trainer and American Kennel Club evaluator, I can tell you that most of those people end up regretting that decision. Before buying or adopting a dog from any place, thought and consideration need to be taken into the animal’s health and welfare, as well as the cost to feed, train, board, groom and provide veterinary care.

Right Fit

A reputable animal rescue will be informative on all these issues, as well as know the dog’s personality because it has been properly assessed. A reputable breeder will supply the same information and the same support as a reputable rescue, but most purchasers are unaware of what constitutes a “reputable breeder.”

Reputable breeders will be listed or registered with an organization such as the American Kennel Club and will have references, as well as information on their breeding practices and breeding lines. They will have health certificates for their dogs and proper vaccinations. They will have a valid kennel license. The sire or dam will be on site, and only a few litters will be bred a year.

Most reputable breeders also keep their dogs and puppies as members of the household. The breeder will want to stay in contact with you because they care where the puppy ends up and the quality of life it will have. So, they will want to screen potential buyers to make sure the match is a good fit and the dog will not be sold or given away.

Why all the hassle? Unfortunately, many dogs end up in rescues or in shelters due to people purchasing a puppy and then deciding that it is not going to work out. Regrets and excuses are plentiful, but the real reason is that the dog was not what the person expected. Puppies grow, and they chew things, and they urinate and defecate on your stuff, and they require attention and training.

Puppies can be shaped and molded into what you want them to be, but it takes time, patience and training. The breeder will retain properly bred dogs so that there is time for the puppies to have the proper socialization and interaction with their littermates. They will be housebroken, and they will have received their shots and be de-wormed prior to leaving the breeder. It is not uncommon for a reputable breeder to keep the litter together until the dogs are 12 weeks or three months of age.

Other factors to consider when purchasing a puppy include where you live, your lifestyle, who comes and goes from your household and the other animals already living there. You must ensure that the breed of puppy is compatible with the conditions in your home. For example, a hound dog may not be the best match for someone who lives in an apartment or in a house close to other houses because the breed tends to be very vocal. There are exceptions in every breed, but an informed decision should be made rather than one based on impulse.

Research, Research

The Internet is a great source of information for all things puppy dog.

Websites like www.akc.org have listings for breeders that are reputable, as well as information on the different breeds of dogs. A dog show also is a great place to meet breeders. Animal rescues have puppies, too. And, at local adoption events at pet stores, you can meet the puppy and speak to the volunteers about the health and behavior of the dog. Petfinder.com is a great site for finding dogs. It does not always list puppies, but it is a way to find a local rescue organization and begin the search.

To sum up: Before buying a puppy, careful thought and consideration should be taken into what you are committing to, where the dog is coming from and how the relationship develops for the duration of its lifetime. Puppies are fun and adorable. If they come from a reputable source, they then can be a wonderful addition.

Amy Powell is a dog trainer and, since 2004, owner of Doggie U, LLC. For more information, visit the Facebook page: Doggie U LLC.

Step Right Up: Sundae Best Variety Show wears something bawdy, something blue.

June 30, 2015 | by Julie Vitto

There’s a place in Harrisburg where the drinks flow, everyone is invited, and the popcorn is always free. Oh, then there’s the vaudevillian floorshow, which is probably unlike anything you’ve seen this side of the Susquehanna.

Whether you’re looking for a place to show off your underappreciated talents or you’re more of a spectator wondering where all the fun people are, the Sundae Best Variety Show at Stallions Club in Harrisburg is the place to be on the first Sunday night of every month.

The inaugural show kicked off in March and has been drawing a growing crowd since. The show’s hosts and creators, who go by the names of Felicia O’Toole and Maxwell Treats, have lovingly curated a night to remember, welcoming any and all who wish to participate. The variety show features a mélange of as many as eight acts loosely competing for top prizes.

O’Toole explained that the concept for the variety show came to her after seeing a similar show at the Blue Moon Bar in Pittsburgh.

“I thought it would be a good idea to start something like that in Harrisburg,” she said. “There are a lot of people that don’t do drag and don’t have an outlet for what they do.”

Acts have ranged from drag and standup comedy to burlesque and pole dancing. And then there’s the halftime show that often includes off-the-wall slapstick routines by O’Toole and Treats, along with gloriously campy musical numbers and special guest performances.

For a $5 cover, the audience also can vie for some of the spoils by participating in random games throughout the night. Anything goes, short of nudity or fire.

“We just started a partnership with Athena’s by Jim, which is a sex toy and other retailer,” said Treats. “We’ve also been giving out tchotchkes like piggy banks or a 99-cent pregnancy test.”

Similar Wavelength

For the Treats and O’Toole, Stallions is the perfect place to mount a show like this, as the club’s patrons tend to be open to their kind of humor and entertainment. Besides, the pair met while O’Toole was performing there.

“I feel like we’re on a similar wavelength with the style of drag that we do, which is a little bit out of the box for this area,” said Treats. “I try to do things that are fun and silly, but also kind of perverse in an unexpected way.”

Treats described drawing inspiration from older strains of drag like the gender-bending Cockettes, a California-based avant-garde group from the 1960s and ‘70s that worked with director John Waters and his muse, Divine, at one point.

“When I put my makeup on, that kind of decides who I’m going to be that evening,” said Treats.

For O’Toole, inspiration comes from all over—and when least expected.

“I never know when it’s going to hit me,” she said. “When I started drag, I really wanted to be larger than life. I wanted to be over the top, like huge hair, huge boobs, huge shoes, eyebrows up to Jesus. I’ve branched out from there, definitely. It just depends on the audience, the crowd, how I’m feeling.”

Immersive Experience

Audience members are encouraged to dress in their Sunday best and compete in a “Look Contest,” which is wide open to interpretation and may or may not match the night’s theme.

Everyone is invited to take part in the wide array of games and activities during intermission and after the show, which has included a photo booth with props, a can toss, giant Jenga and limbo.

O’Toole and Treats are also looking for artists and filmmakers to reach out to the show. One night’s theme, called “Out of the Toy Box,” featured an installation reminiscent of artist Mike Kelley’s work, in which hundreds of stuffed animals were sewn together and then mounted to the wall and ceiling.

“We want to create an immersive experience for people,” said O’Toole. “Not just a show every month. We try to take it to the next level. And we always have a movie showing that goes with the theme.”

“That’s what I’m hoping to expand on,” added Treats. “It would be amazing if someone had a short that they wanted to screen, and then we could screen it the whole night.”

The variety show has been gaining traction, developing a loyal crew of helping hands along the way. The show’s resident photographer, Billy Hicks, shot the first month for free just because he wanted to be involved.

“There are a lot of really great spaces in Harrisburg that are accessible to people who want to perform, but they’re very specific,” said Treats. “This show is nice because it gives you the freedom to experiment and workshop new ideas. But also, you have a wider audience range.”

“We want to turn into more of a collective,” explained O’Toole of their vision for the show’s future.

“I love performance art,” said Treats. “Just come on stage and do a weird ritual or shave your head or whatever you want to do in front of people. Confess your undying love to someone. I want people to know that everyone is welcome and everyone will be supportive of whatever it is you want to do.”

The Sundae Best Variety Show is held the first Sunday of the month at Stallions Club, 706 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg. For sign up and information, e-mail [email protected] or visit Facebook.com/SundaeBestVariety. Doors open at 8 p.m.; show at 9 p.m. Post-show activities go until 2 a.m.

Good Dog, Big Dog: Mastiffs to Mutts focuses on the rescue, placement of large breeds.

June 30, 2015 | by Gina Napoli

Adopting a dog from Mastiffs to Mutts is not as simple as asking, “How much is that doggie in the window?”

Mastiffs to Mutts is an all-volunteer organization committed to placing mastiffs and other giant-breed dogs with families who will commit to them.

“You’re not just adopting a big dog, you’re adding a really large member to your family,” said Peg Benoit, president of the non-profit, which is based in Chambersburg.

Why large-breed dogs?

“Because many rescues only take small- and medium-breed dogs,” said Benoit. “Giant-breed dogs have special considerations. They cost more to feed and medicate than small dogs. And with groomers and boarders charging by the pound, it’s critical that adopters know the expenses they’re accepting responsibility for.”

Giant-breed dogs weigh 100 to 280 pounds, are 23 to 38 inches high, and cost upwards of $124 per month for food and flea/heartworm preventative medicine. They may need basic training, but they definitely need to continue to socialize with people and animals to prevent them from becoming overprotective.

Large dogs do not necessarily need a large, fenced yard, but they do need daily exercise to suit the individual dog’s need. For example, a senior English mastiff may simply need a daily walk around the block. A younger cane corso mastiff (Italian mastiff) may need several long walks per day or a good session of more vigorous activity.

No matter which giant breed you adopt, the dog needs to be kept indoors. Any dog that is isolated and tied outside can become aggressive. Dogs thrive when they spend time with their people, as they consider their family to be part of their pack.

What to Expect

Not just anyone is allowed to adopt a giant dog from Mastiffs to Mutts.

Each adoptive family is thoroughly researched prior to placement, as are the foster families who open their homes to the dogs temporarily. A volunteer will inspect the potential home for safety and pet-friendliness. The careful screening process involves background checks and proof of homeownership.

Volunteer investigators also verify from local shelters and pounds that the applicant hasn’t relinquished animals to them and that there is no record of “dogs at large” or similar violations. They also talk to the person’s references, veterinarian and neighbors.

“You can find out a lot of information from neighbors,” said Benoit. “It’s amazing what they’ll tell you. If an owner is away for weeks at a time or their current dogs are already constantly barking, that’s not a good sign. It’s important to know what kind of people want one of our dogs.”

Applicants who have previous experience with giant breeds is a positive, said Benoit.

“They already know what to expect and how to accommodate,” she said. “It speaks well of an applicant if their vet knows their name without looking at their records. It’s likely they have an ongoing relationship with that vet office.”

The Mastiffs to Mutts adoption committee reviews each adoption application and the details of each investigation. On the list of applicants ineligible for placement are minors, families with children under 6 years of age, renters and residents outside the mid-Atlantic area.

“If the committee believes, for any reason, that the dog would not be served by that family or individual, we deny approval,” said Benoit.

With a low 2-percent return rate, the process used at Mastiffs to Mutts has proven itself to be effective, she said.

Adoptive families pay $150 to $500 in adoption fees. All fees collected and donations accepted are reinvested into rescuing more dogs. Each dog receives food, preventative medicine and medical care (which includes spaying or neutering).

The rescue also regularly purchases bedding, toys, collars, leashes and crates. Some funding goes toward fostering and kenneling if no fosters are available. Other funding is used for more severe medical issues such as orthopedic surgeries, heartworm treatment, medical X-rays and diagnostic testing.

Both adopters and foster families will experience growth in their human families as a result of their new additions, said Benoit. Mastiffs to Mutts makes its wide network of pet support available: veterinarians, trainers, classes, pet-sitters, behavioral experts and other resources.

Together, the Mastiffs to Mutts network helps to make the placement successful and the transition as smooth as possible. Trainers volunteer countless hours via email and telephone to work with families whose dogs have behavioral issues.

“Dog people stick together,” said Benoit. “Rescuers, animal control—we all work together for the best interests of the dog. We’re available during and after the adoption to help the families and give guidance.”

If you think you have what it takes to add a giant-breed dog to your family, check out www.mastiffstomutts.com. You can view profiles and pictures of dogs eligible for adoption. You can also donate funds online. For additional information, you also can email [email protected].

STEM Sell: Rubber bands today, engineers tomorrow.

June 30, 2015 | by Paul Barker

Maurice Cable

Maurice Cable held the glider in his hands. Hardly more than a foot in length, it had a measuring-stick fuselage, a red clay nose and Styrofoam wings cut to look like an eagle’s. “I know that eagles are really good at flying,” Cable explained. “They can glide, like, 20 minutes without flapping their wings.” He was similarly direct about the inspiration for the plane’s decal motif, of basketballs wearing crowns. “Basketballs are popular,” he said, “and kings used to get respect from people.”

Cable, a risingfifth grader, is one of nearly 300 Harrisburg-area students who participated last month in Summer Engineering Experience for Kids, a free, three-week summer camp held at Marshall Math Science Academy. The program, run by the National Society for Black Engineers, aims to attract minority students to the so-called STEM disciplines—science, technology, engineering and math—with a hands-on curriculum taught by mentors.

“Minorities are obviously severely underrepresented in STEM fields,” said Franklin Moore, the program’s national director. “We had to create a STEM pipeline.” Moore founded the program in 2007, with the first camp taking place in Washington, D.C. It has since expanded to 16 cities, including San Diego, Detroit, Chicago and, for the first time this year, Harrisburg.

On a Friday in June, at the end of the camp’s first week, a dozen or so students sat around a podium in a hallway at Marshall, intermittently smiling for the cameras. “The statistics prove that STEM fields are growing,” said Cheryl Capozzoli, who was hired last year as the school district’s STEM coordinator. “By 2018, there’s going to be an influx of STEM professions that we need to fill here in the United States.” She gave a quick sketch of the camp curriculum, which was built around three engineering projects—gliders, fuel-cell cars and “gravity cruisers,” simple vehicles powered by a weighted lever and fulcrum. At the end of each week, students would test their designs in competitions. “We could probably ask them,” Capozzoli said. “Are you having fun this week?”

“Yeeeesss,” the students said in unison.

Each camp is staffed with between 40 and 50 mentors, whose stipends are paid, along with other program expenses, by a mix of national and local benefactors. Moore said that Gene Veno, who headed the state intervention in district finances until his resignation in the spring, was “instrumental” in raising money from sponsors, among them Siemens, PNC Bank, McClure Co. and PNG Energy.

“I love seeing the kids strive for excellence and seeing how excited they get about learning,” Joshuah Davis, a four-time mentor and the site director this year for the Harrisburg program, told me. Like most mentors, Davis has a science background—he holds a mathematics degree from Fort Valley State University and is completing a mechanical engineering degree at the University of Arkansas. “My first year as a mentor, I had a lot of kids start crying the last day of camp because they didn’t want to leave,” he said. “We didn’t realize, you know, we really touched the kids like that.”

“It’s important for these young people to see that there are other African-American men and women out there who came from the same kinds of backgrounds that they come from and yet have taken that extra step to engage themselves in this rigorous study of engineering and sciences,” said Joseph Robinson, Jr., president of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Development Institute, a local nonprofit that helped bring the program to Harrisburg. “I don’t know whether we’ve got a George Washington Carver sitting here on the floor,” he said, “but I know we’ve got some future scientists and engineers sitting right here at this press conference.” On the floor, students straightened their backs and refreshed their smiles.

Later that afternoon, the cafeteria reverberated with the din of some hundred or so students in team colors—red, yellow, blue and green. They took turns firing their gliders from a rubber-band launcher into a landing strip marked off with tape on the tile floor. A series of contests tested the gliders for distance, height, hang time and accuracy. As the green team fitted its aircraft into the launcher, a prayer wafted up from the red team’s benches: “Please don’t make it go so far.” The first shot was a dud: the rubber band snagged, the glider tumbled down, and the young man operating the launcher looked profoundly disappointed. But on the second shot, his teammate sent the glider nearly to the opposite wall. The room erupted.

“We try to teach them with having fun,” said Sierra Butcher, a first-time mentor from Wilmington, Del. She beckoned to Cable, who came over to explain how he resolved his glider’s early design flaw—too much clay. She engaged him in a brief, Socratic exchange:

“What force is the clay?”

“Weight,” Cable said.

“OK. And what is another name for weight?”

“Mass.”

“So, what happened when you took the clay off?”

“It got lighter and it flew farther.”

Butcher said that students had learned the NSBE mission statement, which Cable rattled off on demand: “To increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, and succeed professionally, and positively impact the community.” Asked whether he wanted to become a scientist, though, his answer was more informal. “Yeah, I guess so,” he said. “I’m still working on it.”

Driving Change: Will Harrisburg ever get a reliable mass transit system?

June 30, 2015 | by Tara Leo Auchey

After five years of city living as a pedestrian, I got a car.

It was not a purchase I made willingly. In fact, it pains me that I had to give in to acquiring a convenient mule for my travels. I was triumphant years ago when I sold my previous one, delighted to be able to walk most places I needed to be. I thought nothing of a 20-minute trip by foot, there and back. If I had to get somewhere outside of that range, I begged a ride or took the bus, but, over time, the challenge of getting from A to B to A to C to B to A has become greater.

The most frustrating part of having to get a car is that I don’t need it to go to places outside of the city since I don’t really do that often.

No, I need it to trek around the city.

That’s because Harrisburg has such inconvenient means of travel if you don’t have access to a vehicle (see my previous “Road Ramble” article [TheBurg, March 2014] to hear what I think of driving improvement needs around here. All of these one-way streets? This city needs to reconfigure!).

Sure, there are buses, taxis and the recently added Uber service. However, those are not the most efficient or most cost-effective ways if I need to get from my upper Midtown office to downtown to Midtown to Allison Hill and back to my starting point, which is exactly how my days are increasingly going. Never mind what any naysayer says—there are many things to do, see and engage in all around the city.

Okay, so I may have more complicated travels than the average person. While I wouldn’t be so sure of that, the city’s deficient transit system is glaringly obvious even in simpler journeys.

Say, for instance, a person wants to go from Uptown to Allison Hill, there and back, for a visit to Hamilton Health Center or Matangos Candies. To walk it is a crisis of crossing Cameron Street, going up hill, and battling broken sidewalks and steps.

These perils are similar for bike riders and skateboarders. This is even more so if said cyclists and skaters are attempting to share the road, which is where we all know they should be—on the street. However, the take-one’s-life-into-one’s-own-hands element of trying to travel alongside vehicles around here results in these un-motorized wheels on the sidewalks. And the result of that is another peril for pedestrians.

A bus trip requires a transfer, which means getting on one bus, going to the Market Square Transfer Station, and getting on another bus. The only circuit route in the city goes from City Island and circles the downtown Central Business District. It’s clear that route isn’t designed for residents as much as it is for commuters.

Then there’s just the plumb unreliability of the bus system. We’ve all seen the people standing in the middle of the street, peering down the road for an anticipated bus running late. It’s also worth pointing out that it can be quite uncomfortable for riders to wait on a bus. Few bus stops have benches or even trees to cut the heated wait.

A taxi cab? Uber? Yes, those are options and ones that can be expensive, especially if these are the only means of travel, especially for work. And, quite frankly, although these services are increasing and getting better in regard to reliability, they don’t make up for the lack of reliable, safe, convenient and inexpensive options in Harrisburg.

In fact, these options can be so expensive and so unreliable that employers will sometimes ask prospective employees about their means of travel to and from work. If someone doesn’t have a vehicle or access to one, chances of being hired can be adversely affected.

Of course, I’m not the first person to call for better mass transit, for safer shared roadways or for a better pedestrian setting. I’m certainly not the first to write about it, and I’m also not the only one to point to other cities and say, “Come on! What’s the hold up? Look at what they’re doing there, and Harrisburg is such a small city. Let’s fix this broken system and provide the residents with better transportation options. We’re a city after all.”

When I do say that, I hear a gamut of reasons why things haven’t changed—from federal bureaucracy to union issues to lack of money to lack of desire.

Bollocks, I say. All of those things can be overcome.

So, it begs the question, what will drive change? Yes, pun intended.

Tara Leo Auchey is the creator and editor of today’s the day, Harrisburg. www.todaysthedayhbg.com

A Clickbait History of Harrisburg

June 30, 2015 | by Lawrance Binda

Recently, the website ask reddit asked the following question: What clickbait titles would you give to major historical events? That question inspired us to give Harrisburg its own clickbait chronology.

10 Facts You Never Knew About Glaciation

Harris’ Ferry: Smooth Sailing Or DEATH TRAP??

15 Ways to Get Rid of Your Indians

This Whiskey Rebel’s Story Will Shock And Move You

Trending: John Harris Jr.’s TOP-SECRET Plan (Hint: It’s A Capital Idea!)

Take Our Survey For A Chance To Win Hair From Charles Dickens’ Hotel Bed Sheets

Which Whig Candidate Are You Most Like? Take Our Quiz!

Bigger Mutton Chops In Just 2 Minutes!

Patriot-News Founded

Your Top 5 Stocks For The Coming Confederate Invasion

This Woman Showed Her Ankle On State Street. Outrage?

10 Nutritious Meals From Slag Waste

The Newest Front Street Mansion. We Have The Tintypes!

You Won’t BELIEVE What We Saw In Harrisburg After The Wind Briefly Cleared Away The Factory Smoke

Adorable Pics From Cameron School’s 6^th Grade Graduation/First Day Of Work

10 Lessons In Life From Harrisburg’s Plutocrats

State Capitol Burns: Wrath Of An Angry Christian God, Says Our Reader Poll

Which Black Neighborhood Should The State Government Demolish Next? You Decide!

Is That Vomit Cholera Or Tuberculosis? We Let You Know!

SHOCKER: One Of The People Behind City Beautiful Is A WOMAN!!

Only 8 Bodies Dumped Outside City Speakeasies Last Night. Progress?

Trending: Top 10 Reasons Why Trolleys Stink

War Is Over: 5 Harrisburg Steel and Rail Companies To Invest In NOW

Can You Believe It? This Man Just Named A Bridge For HIMSELF!

You’ll Never Guess Which City Streets Will Become Speedways

Our Favorite Looted Items? We Asked The Rioters.

Why This Tropical Storm Is Blowing Up

Slideshow: 10 Suburbs To Flee To Now

Our Shopping Picks: Harrisburg’s Top 5 Closed Department Stores

Don’t Watch This Footage If You Love Nuclear Power!

Reader Poll: You Voted “The Spot” The Only Restaurant In Harrisburg

What Used To Be In That Empty Lot? Take Our Quiz.

5 SHOCKING Schemes to Fix The City Incinerator

Playtime: Match The Artifact To The Museum

Steve Reed’s 7 Terms—Ranked!

PennLive Founded

She Called Them Scumbags. They Made Her a Pizza. What Happened Next
May Surprise You.

Can You Spot The Differences Between The 2 City Receivers? Neither Could We!

5 Ways To Make Your Comb-over Say, “I Can Lead”

Paul Barker contributed to this silly exercise.

Summer Loving: Playing outside is fun, but warm weather also brings unique challenges for dogs.

June 30, 2015 | by Rebecca Hanlon

Illustration by Matt Fogarty.

While your dog’s favorite summer activity might be hanging his head out the window on long car rides, it’s an adventure your veterinarian likely hates to see.

“It’s one of those things that nearly everyone does, but no one realizes the dangers that can be involved,” said Dr. Deborah Keim of Capitol Area Animal Medical Center.

Including pets in favorite summer activities is a great way to burn off some energy and bond with our creatures. But unlike humans, our furry family members can’t say when they get tired, too hot or something hurts.

“We have to be aware of the things that make them tick,” Keim said. “It can be the difference in them getting to enjoy summer with us or having to make an emergency trip to the animal hospital.”

Car Safety

While most people put down the window to let Fido get some air, it can be a dangerous practice.

Sure, he looks excited as he sticks his head into the breeze, tongue hanging out of his mouth, but are those moments of joy worth the chance of catastrophe?

Dr. Linda Stern of Healing Creatures Animal Hospital in Camp Hill said pets should be restrained just as humans are with seatbelts.

“Anything from a quick slam on the brakes to the animal getting excited and jumping out the window can lead to terrible things,” Stern said.

Besides getting tossed around the car in a crash, anything flying around in the air could hit the dog, getting in its eyes, nose or ears and causing injury or pain, Stern added. Also, if a crash is severe and emergency personnel have to respond, an unrestrained dog could get protective of its owner while others try to help.

Besides a crate, an owner can buy dog-specific restraints, similar to a seatbelt. For larger dogs, owners can put gates up to keep the animal from jumping between rows of seats.

And the golden rule of all pet owners: Never leave an animal in the car alone, Stern said.

Temperatures can rise to dangerous levels in just minutes, she said, causing severe heat exhaustion that can even lead to death.

On Vacation

For long car rides, there are some medications that can help animals relax or get over motion sickness, Keim said.

Do some prep work by making sure any resort or hotel is pet-friendly and that areas nearby are welcoming to pets, too. Not all beaches or state parks allow dogs, Keim added.

If the vacation destination is pet-friendly, it’s still a good idea to keep a dog on a leash until it gets accustomed to the beach or park. Whenever it’s time to go, check the dog’s paw for anything that could be in between its toes, including sand, which can cut the skin, Keim said.

Summer also is when pets are most likely to get bitten by mosquitoes or ticks, which can carry harmful diseases or parasites.

While topical or oral medications do a great job of keeping pets healthy, please make sure that the dose is proper for your dog, Stern said.

Avon’s Skin So Soft, a spray bug repellent safe for humans, also works on animals, she said. Just be sure not to spray it around the animal’s eyes or mouth.

There also are several citronella packets that can be hung around or inserted in an animal’s collar during nights in the backyard or out on the trail.

“The big thing is to always check pets for ticks after long periods outside,” Keim said.

A fine-toothed comb can make the process a little easier, she said.

Too Much Heat

Pets don’t sweat like humans to help them stay cool during the summer, so it’s important that owners keep an eye out for the signs of heat exhaustion.

Keim recommends collars that can go in the freezer and be used later to help cool down a pet, as well as gel-filled beds that are more comfortable for sleeping.

Dogs especially will begin to pant a lot as a way to try to cool their bodies down. If the panting becomes excessive, Keim said, it’s important to get the animal as cool as possible by wetting it down. Don’t use iced water, however. Keim said that the goal is to cool the animal down slowly, so cool water is best.

Stern agreed that heat exhaustion is a big concern during the summer.

“Dogs especially will run until they drop,” she said.

Carry a source of water on long walks and make sure the animal takes frequent, small drinks. Too much water at once when a dog is overheating can cause additional problems, she said.

Natural electrolyte drinks other than sports beverages that can be found in the grocery store also can be diluted and given to pets when it’s too hot, Stern added. Pop a few in the freezer as ice cubes, and they make a great cold snack for animals.

“Summer can be a great time to connect with your pet,” Stern said. “If everyone is safe and healthy, it can be a great season of fun.”

Adult Oasis: Bacco aims to meet the nightlife needs of a maturing downtown clientele.

June 30, 2015 | by Stephanie Kalina-Metzger

It’s been said that Harrisburg’s Restaurant Row is playing to an older audience these days, with crowds that demand quality over quantity.

After all, the area has been a popular playground for the region’s 20-somethings for many years now. So, it only stands to reason that the 2^nd Street crowd would mature.

Enter Bacco Pizzeria and Wine Bar, housed in a downtown building that has been through many incarnations over the years, including Privado, the late-night lounge with the sexy vibe.

Owner Max Randazzo now is switching gears to appeal to the discerning tastes of today’s older demographic. To do so, he’s fashioned a rustic Italian menu, along with a premium selection of wine, beer and craft cocktails.

But don’t mistake this restaurant for some retirement castle. After all, the place is named for Bacco, the Roman god of wine, a deity synonymous with joy and merrymaking.

Sicilian Inspired

If you’re driving down 2^nd Street, you may miss the black awning sporting the large, cursive “B,” but that’s where the understatement ends. Large doors lead the way into the 100-year-old building, which once served as a bank.

Inside, marble walls, highlighted by ornate pilasters, give an upscale feeling to the space. Oversized windows usher in natural light, and wooden tables are placed far enough apart to give patrons plenty of room to dine and socialize. The long bar provides more seating for those interested in stopping in for a drink and, on nice days, patrons can choose to dine al fresco at six tables positioned out front.

The one-page menu featuring locally sourced products is simple, but diverse. Diners can choose from six different salads, four types of cheese, cured meats like duck prosciutto made on site, and pasta dishes like lasagna and veal spinach cannelloni. Small plates are a nod to the popular sharing trend and include bruschetta, lollipop lamb chops and roasted vegetables.

Of all the choices, pizza emerges as the standout favorite.

Randazzo’s family hails from Sicily, and years of pizza-making experience were passed down to the offspring. Diners can choose from 11 pies, which are cooked in a 700-degree, gas-fired oven.

Traditionalists will enjoy classics like the margherita, comprised of crushed tomato, olive oil, mozzarella and basil, while spice-lovers will savor the fiery flavor of the “Inferno,” which includes crushed tomato, red pepper flakes, hot soppressata, Parmesan flakes and mozzarella.

During my visit, I chose to sample the “funghi,” which was suitable for sharing and was topped with wild mushrooms, béchamel and pine nuts. I particularly enjoyed the hint of rosemary, which I was told came from an infused olive oil.

Diners who save room for dessert can choose among six sweet selections, like crème brûlée, lemon gelato and cannoli.

Drinks to Perfection

Dry or sweet? Light or full-bodied? Whatever your preference, you’ll likely find a choice that’s right for you on the page-long list of wines.

If you prefer a cocktail, beverage director Tommy Pavlovic aims to please. The mixologist takes his craft seriously, having worked for six years at a world-famous, classic cocktail bar in Los Angeles.

“I worked with the best in the industry,” said Pavlovic, whose eyes light up when he launches into the history of classic cocktails and his perfectionist approach.

“Everything we’re doing here right now dates from 1900 to 1920,” he added, presenting the pre-Prohibition cocktail list he created.

Pavlovic works diligently behind the scenes before the drinks hit the table, a point he proves when he pulls out a huge bowl filled with raw fruit strips and demerara from behind the bar. The large-grained, raw sugar, with origins in Guyana, is slowly making inroads into the United States from Europe.

Pavlovic explained that he is in the process of making an oleo-saccharum, a technique used in 19^th-century bartending to infuse alcoholic beverages with a citrusy flavor.

He also informed me that ice is a “thing.” He is not one who is content to purchase his ice. He insists upon making it, taking steps to ensure crystal clarity, then carving a 40-pound block down into spheres for the cocktails he crafts.

“Surface area and core temperature dictate whether the drink will taste anything like the first sip on the last sip,” he said.

As I perused the cocktail menu, I recognized my stepfather’s favorite Manhattan. Pavlovic’s includes orange essence and an Italian cherry, which I’m betting doesn’t contain Red Dye #2 like the ones available at our local supermarket.

The classic old fashioned tops the list on the menu and in patrons’ hearts, according to Pavlovic. Other notable drinks include the sazerac, a whisky-based concoction, which some claim is one of the oldest known cocktails, and the Negroni, comprised of gin, vermouth, Campari, Gran Classico and orange essence and the house sangria, to name a few.

Pavlovic is an affable gent who will craft a drink to your liking if nothing on the menu strikes your fancy. Just don’t request anything remotely related to the flavors found in “whipped” vodka. Ever.

For beer aficionados, Pavlovic selected 13 different types of Pennsylvania beers.

“A lot of excellent beer is being made right here in PA,” he said.

Future plans are in the works to create a downstairs cocktail room as word about the restaurant spreads.

“It’s exciting to serve people who want to see things done properly, and we as a team of professionals are just aiming to be as good as we can,” said Pavlovic.

Bacco Pizzeria and Wine Bar is located at 20 N. 2^nd St., Harrisburg. To learn more, call 717-234-7508 or visit www.baccopizzeriawinebar.com.

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