A Cemetery Swing: The region’s historic graveyards offer a fascinating take on the past.

June 1, 2015 | by Susan Ryder

Search the web for things to do in Harrisburg and you will find the typical list of “Harrisburg-y” possibilities: tour the Capitol, visit the National Civil War Museum, ride the Pride. However, No. 24 on the list of 30 offers an unexpected option— visit Harrisburg Cemetery.

A cemetery as a tourist attraction? I couldn’t resist.

Cemeteries meet the interests of a number of groups, especially history buffs. With a cemetery visit, you get the collective history of those buried there, the history of art used to commemorate their lives, and the history of wars or struggles in which they participated.

“So many interesting stories, that’s the way it is, though—all the old cemeteries, they have a story to tell,” said Barbara Barksdale, co-chairwoman of the Pennsylvania Hallowed Grounds Project and president of Friends of Midland, a non-profit that cares for the predominantly African-American Midland Cemetery in Steelton. “The history is just crazy in cemeteries around here.”

Some of those stories are individual, such as Herbert “Rap” Dixon, who, in 1930, became the first black man to hit a home run in Yankee Stadium. Then there’s Lemuel Butler, born in Harrisburg in 1844, a teamster who served with the U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War.

Other stories are broader. Looking at the dates on the stones, it’s clear that some of those buried in Midland were slaves or freed slaves who mostly likely worked on the farm where the cemetery now sits. Midland is also the resting place of veterans of numerous storied African-American military groups, including the Buffalo Soldiers, the U.S. Colored Troops, Montford Point Marines and the Tuskegee Airmen.

“I want people to go away with—it’s more than a headstone,” said Barksdale, who gives tours of the cemetery.

Local Notables

Harrisburg Cemetery, listed in the National Registry of Historic Places, holds local and national history, as well.

In the walking tour, David Via, superintendent of the cemetery, pointed out the governors, soldiers and local people of interest buried there. Names like Berryhill, Calder, Cameron and Kelker, among many others, read like the street signs of Harrisburg.

“The Walking Tour Guide of Harrisburg Cemetery,” available at the caretaker’s house at the entrance to the cemetery, provides information on those buried there, as well as other intriguing aspects of the place.

Via said that 155 Civil War soldiers are buried in the cemetery and pointed out that the simple, white tombstones differ. The monuments for the Union soldiers have rounded tops, while the Confederate soldiers have pointed tops.

“Supposedly, so the damn Yankees couldn’t sit on them,” Via said of the Confederate stones.

Veterans of the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican War and the Civil War are all represented in the cemetery.

Down the highway a bit, the Old Public Graveyard in Carlisle holds the remains of 53 Revolutionary War soldiers, including Molly Pitcher, the famous female fighter and heroine. Her monument is one of the larger ones in the graveyard.

A guide mentions that the oldest marker is from 1757 and that the cemetery is the final resting place of a Civil War drummer boy and of Judge Frederick Watts, president of the Cumberland Valley Railroad, a U.S. Commissioner of Agriculture and a person “instrumental in the founding of Penn State.”

Manmade, Natural Beauty

While civic and war history engage many, the art history in cemeteries also should be noticed. Cemeteries large and small typically contain a gate, sometimes simple, sometimes ornate, which signifies the separation between the everyday world and the cemetery space.

A 30-foot-tall obelisk, representing eternal life from the Haldeman family plot, greets visitors to Harrisburg Cemetery. Tombstones on the grounds hold symbolic art. Anchors represent hope, ferns sorrow and lambs innocence.

The Old Public Graveyard contains many family plots with iron gates, some with intricate scrollwork, conveying a sense of privacy for the deceased.

Examples of white bronzes exist in both Harrisburg Cemetery and the Old Public Graveyard. These gray headstones, made of a combination of copper, tin and zinc, show little weathering even after a century of exposure.

The natural beauty of cemeteries is another draw. Quiet places, they provide a serene environment to walk, write, read or explore. Harrisburg Cemetery, in particular, has a wonderful array of plant life. In appreciation of its many flowering trees, the cemetery held a tree walk in April.

Trees include the well-known flowering dogwood, the crabapple and the northern red oak, as well as the less-recognized Kentucky coffee tree with its unusual pods, the English hawthorn lined with thorns and the Japanese pagoda tree, which sports bumpy, string bean-type seeds.

Via pointed out ivy growing on a stone that originated from a trimming from Martin Luther’s grave. Similar to English ivy but smaller in size, he calls it “Martin Luther’s ivy.”

Before visiting a cemetery, do a little research. Often, online, printable guides will direct visitors to points of interest within the cemetery and to any special artistic and planting features.

Visitors should follow posted rules, which often vary from cemetery to cemetery. While they provide a park-like atmosphere, with lots of space, grass and trees, cemeteries are not playgrounds. Stones are heavy and often old and could seriously injure someone standing or leaning on them. Groundhogs, which frequent cemeteries, burrow under stones, leaving large holes. Tread carefully.

Cemeteries serve as the burial ground for the dead, but offer much to the living. Those looking for a way to spend a summer day may want to consider a visit. Even the skeptical should try it once, as they may have a similar reaction to students who spent time in Midland Cemetery. As Barksdale put it, “Once I got them, they were hooked.”

For more information on the cemeteries mentioned:

Hallowed Grounds tour: https://centralpahallowedgrounds.blogspot.com
Harrisburg Cemetery: https://sites.google.com/site/harrisburgcemetery
Midland Cemetery: Friends of Midland Cemetery on Facebook
Old Public Graveyard, Carlisle: https://www.visitcumberlandvalley.com

Not Our Fault? In Harrisburg, there’s plenty of blame to go around.

June 1, 2015 | by Lawrance Binda

I don’t often get into screaming matches, much less in public places.

But, a pint or two in at my favorite new Harrisburg brewery, a friend and I began raising our voices over something we actually agree about—that we’re both angry, really angry, at John Campbell.

For sure, we’re not alone. The disgraced former Harrisburg treasurer upset plenty of people who had trusted him with their confidence and their money.

Heck, two months before Campbell’s arrest on theft charges, TheBurg helped host a party in his honor as he departed Historic Harrisburg Association, where he had been executive director. And my friend and I both were members of organizations where Campbell has been accused of taking money.

So, I guess we needed to vent, which we did, loudly, in contrast to the sounds of folks happily enjoying their La Dolce Vita drafts and their mutual company and the din of the jukebox at Zeroday Brewing.

We vocally debated Harrisburg’s version of “he who must not be named,” but, in the process, disagreed about something fundamental.

I hold many of us at least partially responsible for the phenomenon that was John Campbell; my friend doesn’t.

“He was a con man,” my friend said. “How could anyone have known that?”

Con man, no doubt. But I insisted that Campbell never should have had such positions of authority in the first place.

“He was a 21-year-old kid still in college when he was hired,” I countered, insisting (without success) that Campbell should have been flagged as too young and too inexperienced to serve as director or treasurer of anything important.

A person, I believe, is responsible for his own actions. However, that also pertains to the supporting actors, those who played lesser parts in a situation that goes spectacularly wrong.

I feel largely the same way about the city’s financial collapse.

Former Mayor Steve Reed, without question, tops the list of people responsible for Harrisburg’s fiscal chaos. However, in a flow chart of blame, you could list, in descending order, Reed’s direct underlings; the professionals who advised him; the Harrisburg Authority; members of City Council; the Dauphin County commissioners; numerous state officials; the supine media; and the voters.

Not that anybody has accepted this blame. A few years back, during a state Senate committee hearing on the city’s massive incinerator debt, every witness called upon, including Reed himself, denied responsibility. Evidently, Harrisburg’s near-bankruptcy happened without anyone causing it.

In fact, during the Reed administration, signals abounded that his consolidation of power was troubling and that the city’s finances were increasingly out-of-whack. Some residents tried to sound the alarm, but they invariably were shouted down, mocked or ignored.

You could make a long list of the ill-advised projects that the Reed administration championed, often financing them through strange, convoluted deals. For the sake of this column, I’ll limit my focus to what might be the most surreal—Reed’s attempt to build not one, but “five nationally scaled museums” (his words) in a poor, tiny city in central Pennsylvania.

New museums typically are born in one of two ways. In the first, a group (usually a non-profit board) tries to raise money for a building and/or its contents. In the second, a wealthy patron donates items—and sometimes foots the bill for the building, as well.

Harrisburg didn’t follow either path. The museum idea originated in the mind of a single man, Steve Reed, without any of the detailed preparation and painstaking planning needed to embark on a massive venture like starting a world-class museum (much less five of them).

In a nutshell, Reed got hold of public money and began buying stuff because he wanted to—and because he could.

Over a decade, he packed an enormous warehouse (and several other buildings) full of thousands of items from his sprees, spending untold millions on things that ranged from the genuine and valuable to junk and fakes. Lacking expertise, he vacuumed up lot after lot, often overpaying for the good and the bad.

The majority of objects were for an Old West museum he wanted to build, but some were for an African-American heritage museum he proposed and others for a Sports Hall of Fame he hoped to construct on City Island. There also were artifacts that didn’t seem to fit into any category—wood from a Colonial-era ship, transcripts from the Nuremberg trials.

Eventually, he got one “nationally scaled” museum built, the National Civil War Museum, but only because he learned that former Gov. Tom Ridge was a Civil War buff. So, according to project architect Vern McKissick, Reed quickly carved out a Civil War collection from his vast Old West stash and, though luck and salesmanship, got the state to foot the bill for the building.

This is local government gone completely off the rails. I half-laugh, half-cringe when I imagine Reed and his surrogates darting around the country attending auctions, sweeping up inventory, packing it all up, shipping it to Harrisburg, unpacking it and storing it in whatever dusty corner they could find for future museums that had no realistic path to ever existing.

But that’s what happened, and a lot of people knew about it—officials and politicians, consultants, city workers, the media, some in the general public. Yet year after year after year, it went on.

Typically, I’m not big on assigning blame, as I find resolving a problem more important than determining who’s at fault. However, in the case of Campbell and Reed, I believe it’s important to examine if we, as individuals, are in some way responsible. By understanding our own roles, we lessen the chance of a future rogue mayor, thieving treasurer or whoever might try to scam us next.

We all know the cliché that it takes a village to accomplish something good. Well, sometimes, it also takes a village to screw up royally.

Lawrance Binda is editor-in-chief of TheBurg.

Treasured Island: Many people have high hopes for the future of Harrisburg’s City Island. But can its players paddle in the same direction?

June 1, 2015 | by Paul Barker

One evening in March 1986, Mike Trephan was at the reception for his own wedding, at Catalano’s bar and lounge in Wormleysburg, when he got a call from then-Mayor Steve Reed.

“He says, ‘Michael, the river’s coming up,’” Trephan recalled. “‘You’ve got to move—’” Trephan knew what Reed was talking about: the hull of what was to become the Pride of the Susquehanna riverboat, a hulking metal frame that was perched on a City Island beach, unmoored. For the past year, Trephan and a group of local businessmen had been working to build an old-fashioned passenger boat to augment the city’s riverfront attractions. Trephan, who had recollections of taking a ferry to City Island as a child, called it “an old memory becoming a new dream.” He got off the phone and, along with his wife, headed for the island.

Rising waters had imperiled the project once already. Months before the wedding, the river had torn the boat from where it was docked on the west shore, wedging it against a pier of the Market Street Bridge. The disaster prompted a Patriot-News reporter to liken the riverboat to the Titanic—a display of hubris that was doomed to failure. But the hull was rescued and relocated to the island, and Trephan, after coaxing more positive coverage from the paper, kept the project and its capital campaign alive. On his wedding night, he got to the boat before the swelling river did. “And who shows up and helped us? Mayor Reed,” Trephan said. “We were all dressed up, but we got the boat tied up. I think he’s the one that brought ropes over, if I’m not mistaken.” The boat stayed anchored to the island.

The riverboat was just one piece of City Island’s transformation under Reed. For nearly a century, the island had been a recreational site for city dwellers, following the 1890 construction of the Walnut Street Bridge. According to Eric V. Fasick’s “Harrisburg and the Susquehanna River,” a collection of images of the river published earlier this year, the newly granted access led the city to develop bathing beaches, playgrounds and baseball diamonds there. By the time Reed took office, however, in 1981, the island had fallen out of use and acquired a reputation for prostitution and cruising. Trephan called it “disheveled,” though, he hastened to add, it “wasn’t as bad as people say it was. It just wasn’t developed.”

All that changed under Reed. In 2010, giving an interview for a local history project, Reed recounted his search for an enterprise that would have a “catalytic effect on changing the image and perception of the city.” “You needed something that had universal appeal,” he said. Waterfront investments, he went on, were “almost no-brainer types of developments. Once you do them, people will come. You build it, they will come.”

Trephan got involved after talking to the mayor during Kipona, the city’s riverfront festival over Labor Day weekend. Trephan had charted helicopters for the festival, and, as he and the mayor observed the long line of people waiting for a ride, Reed asked about other ways to improve the riverfront. Trephan ventured a suggestion for a ferry. That idea blossomed into the campaign for the riverboat, which Trephan spearheaded, along with other acquisitions—a railroad circuit and steam train, purchased from a bankrupt Vermont millionaire; an antique carousel. The crowning achievement was the construction of a new ballpark and the acquisition of a minor-league franchise.

Trephan, now in his seventies, looks back on the redevelopment of City Island as an emblem of Reed’s vision and follow-through. “He was a doer,” he said. “People knew that if he said he’d get something done, he would.” More than that, though, he recalls it as a story of political and geographical unity. The mayor “didn’t give a shit what your political party was,” he said. In the case of the Pride of the Susquehanna, he “probably got that done with 80 percent Republican help.” Trephan wanted the boat to be a project of both shores, and, when it came time to incorporate a nonprofit to manage it, he lobbied for the name to include “Harrisburg Area,” as opposed to just “Harrisburg.” (In a history of the riverboat, which Trephan put together in 2007, he wrote that it “might have been the first time that the east and west shores ever came together on a community project.”)

The renaissance on the island has largely endured. The Senators still play ball in the stadium, now dubbed Metro Bank Park. The Pride of the Susquehanna is paddling into its 27^th year. But in recent months, both the private sector and local officials have begun looking to improve its offerings. Much as it did in 1986, when its mayor showed up to save a stranded boat, the city is considering what sort of businesses can flourish there, and how the government should help.

Last November, a group of land-use experts met over two days in downtown Harrisburg to contemplate City Island’s future. The Urban Land Institute, a global nonprofit, had convened them to tackle a question: was the island was being used to its full potential?

Urban Land Institute panels are meant to provide planning advice, as the institute puts it, “in an atmosphere free of politics or preconceptions.” Susan Baltake, the executive director of its Philadelphia council, which oversaw the City Island panel, told me the institute “gives cover to elected officials, who don’t want to be the ones telling constituents what to do.” The panel, which included lawyers, engineers, designers and real estate and construction professionals, among others, toured the island and interviewed 51 “stakeholders” representing the various constituencies with interests there. The result was a report that George Asimos, a local real estate attorney for the law firm Saul Ewing, and the panel’s co-chair, said he hoped would be “an informed, open-minded, no-agenda catalyst for action.”

The report affirmed the island’s present recreational use, while highlighting its immense potential. It called for a form of centralized management and urged the city to develop a long-term master plan. Among other ideas, it recommended pursuing additional programming at the island’s sports facilities and exploring winter activities and a year-round restaurant. It strongly urged the city to work with the City Islanders, a professional soccer team, to improve their stadium, which is underwhelming, despite the view of the Harrisburg skyline from its bleachers. The report also included a few of what Asimos called “blue-sky ideas,” including a “Museum of the Susquehanna” to celebrate the river’s ecology.

“City Island is a well-loved place,” Asimos told me. “It is unique and tremendous in its location, and in the fact that you can walk and drive to it.” But, he noted, the island’s amenities are “not planned in a uniform way.” The island didn’t have a consistent signage system, and the natural resources were integrated haphazardly. “It’s crying out for a unified master plan,” he said. Brad Jones, the president of the downtown development nonprofit Harristown, which led the request for the Urban Land Institute study, said the panel learned that vendors shared more or less the same wish list. They wanted the island to be “clean, safe and beautiful,” and they would like “maybe a little more marketing.”

Where does city government fit into these objectives? In 1984, before the rapid development of the island under Reed, the city petitioned the Urban Land Institute for a similar report. This time, the request came not from the city but from Harristown, with the backing of the Dauphin County commissioners and the regional tourism bureau. The difference is small, but it may say something about a divergence in priorities. Since Mayor Eric Papenfuse took office, he has clashed with these entities over spending on development and tourism. Though he was interviewed for the report, he took little interest in it. “I don’t think it told us anything we didn’t already know,” he told me, describing it as “one of those things the county likes to spend money on.” (Dauphin County paid $15,000 for the study.)

More to the point, Papenfuse has begun his own examination of the island, focusing less on potential for future development and more on the status quo. The city recently engaged a contract lawyer to go through the city’s permits with island vendors. The Urban Land Institute report recommended giving vendors longer permits, to encourage investment—yet the city recently notified vendors that their permits would be extended provisionally, for one year only. Jackie Parker, director of the city’s Department of Community and Economic Development, which encompasses the parks division, said she expected ultimately to renew them. But, she added, “We’re taking a look, because they’ve been on the books for a very long time, so we felt, and so did the vendors, that there were some things in there that they’d like to discuss and, you know, make some changes.”

Opening the permits may simply be about ironing out wrinkles; most of them date back a decade or more. But it may also reflect a deeper reconsideration of the vendor-city relationship. Under some permits, the city pays the vendor’s electric bill. Many contain a profit-sharing provision—if the vendor earns above a certain figure in a given year, a percentage of those profits goes to the city. But the city has rarely, and perhaps never, collected money under the provision. (One city official suggested such profit-sharing was never meant to be enforced, but rather was a way of making permits for private use of city-owned land more politically palatable.) Vendors, meanwhile, have found the one-year term puzzling. “As a business owner, how do you take a one-year permit to the bank to get a loan?” one vendor asked me.

These concerns are especially prevalent in the case of the asset that dominates the island—the minor-league baseball stadium. The city renovated the ballpark in 2007, matching an $18 million state grant with $18 million in borrowed money. (Around the same time, Reed sold the Senators to a private investor for $13 million, representing quite a coup, as the city had paid less than $7 million for the team a decade before.) Reed claimed that, under the deal, the city should expect ongoing revenues from the ballpark of $500,000 per year. In fact, the city now loses money on the stadium, largely because annual debt payments on it exceed the year’s rent and tax revenues by around $200,000. One city official described the arrangement as a “naked put—the city has all the downside.”

More worrying to Papenfuse, the stadium permit requires the city to pay for facility upgrades, potentially at very high cost to taxpayers. “You have a major scoreboard outage, you have an elevator go down, and you could suddenly have a million dollars in a year that the city’s on the hook for,” he told me. The Senators are supposed to pay the city a portion of parking revenues and stadium naming rights, but the city hasn’t received the money for about a year now, because it’s been siphoned off to pay for repairs. Papenfuse has been meeting with Mark Butler, a local businessman who bought the team earlier this year, and said he feels optimistic about the negotiations. He called the team “good partners” and pointed to its nearly $400,000 annual lease payment, which he acknowledged was costly. “From their perspective, they have the highest lease payments of any team in the league,” he said. “But from our perspective it doesn’t work, and the city can’t fill the gap.” (Butler did not respond to requests for an interview.)

The Urban Land Institute aspires to apolitical advice, but it is difficult to sever political considerations from the use of public land. Asimos, though he said the mayor’s task force didn’t come up during the panel, said the “fact that City Island is still costly to the city” did. In the fall, absent a renegotiated ballpark permit, Papenfuse will go before City Council and ask members to budget for the stadium’s capital repairs—and thus balance the city’s island subsidy against other spending priorities. I asked him what his long-term goal was for the island. “I’m not sure we can achieve it, but the goal is to get it to be—it doesn’t need to make any money for the city, but it shouldn’t be a financial liability to the city,” he said. “And right now, it’s a huge financial liability, with a sort of question mark for how high it can go.”

On a Thursday in early May, around noon, three men in red T-shirts and matching pants left a small, gray shed on the island, near the Walnut Street Bridge, and climbed into a Department of Corrections van. An escort drove them past the stadium towards the beach at the northern end. There, behind the putting greens of a miniature golf course, they spread out at a picnic table for lunch.

Jeff Palkovic opened Water Golf in 1990, making him one of the island’s longest-running attractions. A few years ago, when the city was nearly bankrupt, Mike Trephan organized Palkovic and several other businessmen into a loose committee to help take care of the city’s parks, including the island. A fellow board member of Trephan’s worked in corrections, and she connected the group with a community work program at the Camp Hill prison. Since then, Palkovic said, he has spent hundreds of hours working with the prisoners to maintain the island—cutting back overgrowth, painting facilities, even clearing a walking trail on the west shore.

These efforts raise the question of what the proper relationship is between city government and private businesses, particularly private businesses that rely for their livelihood on public land. The island is a city park, and it falls to the city to maintain the public areas. When the city can’t afford the maintenance, how far should businesses go to keep up appearances on their own? Trephan, who approached former Mayor Linda Thompson with the offer to help early in her term, said she initially seemed suspicious of his motives. Trephan told her he wanted to help because the parks were “what our forefathers left us, and it’s up to us to keep them going.” “All of a sudden, she completely changed her demeanor,” he recalled. “I only had 10 minutes with her—we sat there for an hour, hour-and-a-half talking.” After their meeting, he said, Thompson “helped me anywhere she could.”

Vendors have more recently taken the initiative in marketing and promoting the island. For the past year, they have held monthly meetings to discuss issues ranging from the island’s appearance to branding, signage and security. They meet either on the riverboat or at a ballpark conference room and are typically joined by the city’s parks and recreation director, at least for part of the time. Jackie Parker compared it to a downtown merchant’s association—“they really are starting to work together as a group, which is cool,” she told me. But the businesses also seem to want to ensure their insights and experience are respected. “I want to work as partners with the city,” Steve Oliphant, who owns Susquehanna Outfitters, which rents watercraft and offers river tours, told me. At the same time, he added, the parks administrators were newcomers, while most of the vendors had been on the island for 10 years or more. “They should be coming to the businesses that exist and working as partners. We want to help, too. Have input. Not feel like decisions are made in our absence, and they’ll tell us how that works out.”

“I think the city and the mayor are so overwhelmed with trying to fix things,” Palkovic told me. “There’s a hundred things to do and they can do 10 things.” Still, he reminisced about an earlier era of cohesion, when the island, under aggressive city management, seemed to pick up momentum. Each new vendor drew visitors to the island, and, as a result, everyone’s business improved. Tina Manoogian-King, the longstanding parks and recreation director under Reed, “ran it with an ironclad fist,” he said. “But you know what? You knew what to expect and you knew it was gonna be really, really good.” She was especially ardent about vendors cleaning up trash. To this day, after fireworks displays on the island, Palkovic goes around with a blower to clean up fallen debris. “And I have no problem with that,” he said. “Because I want the island looking good, so when you come, you’re impressed.”

Speaking to vendors and city officials, I wondered how much Papenfuse’s approach to the island was informed by his views on Reed’s legacy. His approach to the National Civil War Museum set one kind of precedent. When he asked the county to cut its funding, he described the museum as a financial waste that should never have been constructed. What Reed saw as a worthy investment, Papenfuse now saw as a crippling obligation. I asked him—did he feel the same way about the stadium and the Senators? “I think it’s distinct,” he told me. “Because there’s no question the Senators bring a benefit, and that perhaps at one time you could make an argument that a city or municipality could subsidize a sports team.” When it came to City Island, it wasn’t that he didn’t see the value of the investment. It was that he believed he had a more pressing obligation to the bottom line. “When we have debt that we absolutely have to pay, and we’re hundreds of thousands of dollars short on a yearly basis,” he said, “we don’t have the luxury of looking at the soft economic impact of that. We have to come up with real numbers.”

Last month, on a nearly perfect spring night, I went to a Senators game. I was early, and while I waited for my wife and our friends, I stood near the gates and watched a crowd stream in from the parking lots and over the bridge. The first time I’d seen the Senators play, before I moved here, I found the experience charming—the kids’ contests between innings, the ads for local businesses on the Jumbotron, the lights strung up on the Walnut Street Bridge. Now, though, it struck me as an emblem of a much more complex legacy.

I thought of something Mike Trephan told me. We’d been talking about the uniqueness of Harrisburg’s riverfront, and the beauty of the island, but had gotten sidetracked on his estimation of the Reed years. He was aware of the incinerator and related borrowings that, late in Reed’s tenure, wrecked the city’s finances. He would entertain the suggestion of bad governance, but he didn’t doubt for a second the mayor’s motives. “Everything he did, he did for the city,” Trephan said. He paused a moment, then set these thoughts aside. “Ah, it’s a great place, City Island,” he said, as if it was all that mattered.

Harrisburg on the Levant: 2nd Street Shawarma brings Mediterranean flair to central PA.

June 1, 2015 | by Stephanie Kalina-Metzger

Mustafa Thabata and Doug McKeta have an easy rapport and appear, at least on the surface, to lack the frenetic demeanor that is often part of those in the restaurant business.

I wondered: Was it because I showed up on a rainy, blustery day around 2 p.m. when most diners had returned to their homes and jobs?

But the more I talked to them, the more I learned that easygoing is just their way. The two aren’t easily rattled—crowd or no crowd.

Perhaps that’s why the laid-back partners decided to take the plunge and launch their new restaurant, 2^nd Street Shawarma, during one of most challenging times of the year—the icy, frigid days of February.

Couple the freezing temps with parking rates that are sometimes blamed for keeping people away from downtown Harrisburg, and a less optimistic pair would have reconsidered the timing. Yet, the two were confident that they could overcome the hurdles and make a go of it.

Today, they are reporting a steady uptick in business as the weather warms and word of their cuisine spreads.

“We’re getting great reviews on Yelp,” said Thabata.

And, as far as the parking rates are concerned, they are meeting diners in the middle, so to speak.

“The first half hour is on us,” said McKeta.

Making a Mark

Before opening the restaurant, the two worked together in the flooring business.

“We put in one particularly long day, and Mustafa looked at me and said, ‘I’m tired,’” recounted McKeta, who agreed, commiserating with his friend.

What came next was a surprise. Thabata suggested they team up to run a restaurant, using Palestinian recipes passed down through his family.

Within three weeks, they hit the street searching for the perfect place to make their mark on the Harrisburg food scene.

“I knew if we didn’t get on it right away, it would be nothing but talk,” said McKeta, who added that they selected downtown for the steady foot traffic from daytime workers and nighttime revelers.

The Harrisburg men finally settled on the N. 2^nd Street address where Arepa City operated until it moved up the road. The pair worked at record speed to make the restaurant their own, choosing a lime green hue for the building that once sported bright yellow.

“We also installed new floors and new lighting,” said McKeta.

The cozy space accommodates 26 inside, and additional seating will soon be available outside for those who wish to dine al fresco.

Adding Diversity

McKeta and Thabata are providing customers with an alternative to the downtown routine along restaurant row.

The manageable menu, developed with team member Hashem Abulizz, includes starters like hummus, vegetarian grape leaves and the popular baba ghannouj, featuring mashed eggplant, lemon juice, garlic and sesame seed butter served with pita. For the record, “baba ghannouj,” means “pampered papa” (you can thank me in advance if you ever compete on “Jeopardy”).

Salads include fattoush, a fresh vegetable mix with toasted pita and house dressing, and tabbouli, which features chopped parsley with onions, tomatoes and cracked wheat mixed with lemon juice and olive oil.

Vegetarians can choose from dishes like the “Falafel Deluxe,” a wrap containing falafel, hummus, tabbouli, tomatoes, pickles and a creamy, garlicky tahini sauce.

There’s plenty on the menu for meat lovers, as well, from the beef shawarma with marinated beef slices, tomatoes, pickles, hummus, onions, tabbouli and tahini to lamb, beef and chicken kebabs, to name just a few.

“For people who have yet to try the cuisine, one of the most oft-heard comments is that the food is ‘very flavorful,’” said Thabata.

And the men promote a fun atmosphere for their employees, according to waiter Justin Randall. “The guys make me laugh and make my day better.”

Randall said one of his favorite parts of the job is when a customer tries something for the first time and is pleased.

“For instance, I’ll give them a dessert sample, and a smile breaks out on their face and they say, ‘I’ll take one,’” said Randall, with a chuckle.

“None of their food comes in a bag,” said customer Bill Hamad. “It’s like going to somebody’s house for dinner. They picked a good niche—to find something similar and of equal quality, you have to drive fairly far.”

Kevin Long, who works downtown, said the restaurant scene is important to him.

“I like that it’s inexpensive, you get a lot of food for the price, and it’s something different,” he said.

He also likes the complexity of the flavors in the dishes.

“The rice/lentil/onion dish amazes me, it’s so simple, yet so tasty,” said Long, referring to the vegetarian mjaddara. “When I’m getting food to take home to my family, we get the mixed grill so everyone can sample each of the meats they offer.”

Then he quickly added: “And if you get dessert, try the harissa—it’s wonderful.”

Harris Zwerling also works nearby and said that he appreciates the convenience, the friendliness and the rapid service. He highly recommends the falafel.

“I’ve lived in a number of different places from Montreal to New York to the Midwest and have had quite a wide variety of falafel,” he said. “It compares very favorably with the other places where I’ve lived and traveled. It’s also one of the few places I’ve gone where they grill the pita.”

As far as the future, the men have big plans.

“We’d like to eventually branch out to other parts of PA, but, for now, we’re happy to be a part of the community and to bring something new to Harrisburg for their enjoyment,” said McKeta.

2^nd Street Shawarma is located at 316 N. Second St., Harrisburg. Call 717-232-3100 or visit their Facebook page: 2^nd Street Shawarma. Hours are Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 a.m.; Saturday, noon to 3 a.m.; and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.

National Battle: Realtor Ray Davis goes up against the nation’s best to raise money to fight blood disease.

June 1, 2015 | by Barbara Trainin Blank

Adyson and Chase, cancer survivors and 2015 Boy & Girl of the Year from the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

In 2011, Ray Davis almost did it.

The well-known Harrisburg-area realtor placed second in the Man of the Year competition held each year by Central Pennsylvania chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Four years later, Davis, an agent for RE/MAX Realty Associates, is back at it, but this time he’s trying to best the fundraising prowess not of folks from Mechanicsburg and Linglestown, but places much farther away, including south Florida and Los Angeles.

Davis is representing central Pennsylvania in the Man and Woman of the Year National All Stars, a coast-to-coast contest comprised of seven of the top fundraisers from local competitions of years past.

“It’s important that we continue to do everything we can to fight blood diseases,” said Davis. “This was one thing that I felt I could do.”

It was only after Davis got involved in the original LLS fundraising campaign that he realized how many people in his orbit have or have had a blood cancer. These include a brother-in-law, a very close friend and a colleague who is, thankfully, cancer free.

“Her condition now is mostly due to the advances of LLS and the money it raises,” he said. “It’s not a question of who but when you will know someone with a blood cancer.”

Since Davis first participated in his first Man and Woman of the Year campaign, people with family members who have died of these diseases have reached out to him to tell them their stories.

“It’s been very humbling,” he said. “I’ve felt honored that they’ve shared their experiences with me.”

Man and Woman of the Year candidates engage in a wide variety of activities to raise money for the cause. These include direct donations, dine-ins at restaurants, cocktail parties and sporting events.

For this competition, Davis is pulling out all the stops. He’s raising money online, through fundraisers at friends’ houses, at trunk shows, by courting media and by having folks dine with him, among other strategies. Besides placing first nationwide, his personal goal is to exceed the impressive $59,000 he raised during his 2011 campaign.

This year, fellow RE/MAX realtor Wendell Hoover and his wife, Brenda, are among those hosting a fundraising event for Davis.

“We just wanted to support Ray and his efforts on behalf on LLS as much as we could,” said Wendell.

Often, because of the intensive nature of the fundraising drive, those who have participated once don’t try for a second time.

“To be an All Star candidate, you have to be among the alumni of the Man and Woman of the Year program,” said Laura M. MacNeill, executive director of the central Pennsylvania chapter. “To further clarify, you have to have run in a local campaign prior to the year you are running as an All Star.”

Davis’ intense, eight-week fundraising effort began on April 1 and runs through June 10. It will conclude with a finale at the Radisson Penn Harris Hotel in Camp Hill.

Most Man/Woman of the Year candidates who take on this formidable challenge combine a belief in a social mission with a strong local presence. Davis is no exception. He’s tapping the vast business and social network he’s built throughout his 25-year real estate career.

“There can be a whole different set of dynamics depending on whether the person is raising money in north Jersey or central Pennsylvania,” Davis said. “But it all boils down to, whoever raises the most money gets the title.”

Whether Davis wins or loses, the important thing, he said, is that his fundraising will benefit LLS and those it serves.

“We’re all winners,” he said. “We raise awareness and help a wonderful organization.”

Ray Davis’ fundraising campaign continues through June 10. To contribute, visit www.raydaviskickcancer.com. To learn more about the local chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, go to www.lls.org/central-pennsylvania.

Home Style: Anna T’s is a tribute to a special mom & her way of cooking.

June 1, 2015 | by Stephanie Kalina-Metzger

When Mark Gaspich took an early retirement after 14 years in law enforcement, he decided it was time to fulfill his life-long dream of running a restaurant.

By September 2014, that dream had been realized, and the only citizens he detains these days are diners, who voluntarily turn themselves over to his custody and are arrested by his delectable dishes. The 50-seat restaurant, located across the street from the state Capitol, serves up home-style food seven days a week.

The former Dauphin County deputy sheriff named the place “Anna T’s” as an homage to his late mother, Anna Theresa, at whose side he learned to cook. A portrait of her, with Gaspich’s father John, graces the back wall of the establishment and acts as a comforting reminder.

“When my dad retired in 1992, they spoke of opening a soup and sandwich shop, and it never came to fruition, so I had the opportunity to fulfill both our dreams,” said Gaspich.

The Linglestown resident is no stranger to food preparation. He spent decades working in the kitchen of the local fire company, cooking for weddings and other events.

Made from Scratch

Fans of the first meal of the day have their choice of steak and eggs, sticky buns, hotcakes, breakfast meats and hearty omelets. Late risers will be glad to learn that breakfast is an all-day affair.

“Not many places do that,” said Gaspich.

State workers can easily walk to Anna T’s during their lunch hour and choose from soups, sandwiches and salads. Dinner choices include lump crab cakes and substantial, stick-to-your-ribs comfort foods like meatloaf, turkey with filling and chopped steak, which Gaspich says is a customer favorite.

One thing that sets Anna T’s apart is that everything is made from scratch, from “Mama’s chili” to meatballs to chicken corn soup to the rich, decadent macaroni and cheese. When patrons order sandwiches for the first time, they are often pleasantly surprised to find them devoid of deli meat.

“All our meats are cooked here and hand-carved off the bone,” said Gaspich, adding that the turkey club is a big hit. “We also do a slow-roasted, pulled pork sandwich with our own apple cider barbecue sauce made with real apple cider.”

Gaspich makes it a point to greet all his customers and make them feel welcome.

“Even though I spend quite a bit of time in the kitchen, I always attempt to check on every customer,” he said.

Those who leave room for dessert can choose from cookies and cakes, which are baked on site.

“The cakes, pies and the grilled sticky buns are all homemade, using my mother’s or my staffs’ family recipes,” said Gaspich.

Close Ties

Judy Imes works in the Fulton Bank building and is an Anna T’s regular.

“It’s a friendly, relaxing place,” she said. “Mark’s dad comes in, and he’s a joy also.”

Imes enjoys a few dishes in particular.

“When you order a chef salad, you get real turkey, and they offer a tuna melt on Fridays that is just delicious. They also have a veggie omelet that is to die for.”

The Harrisburg resident said she enjoys that all the food is homemade and portions are generous.

“I ordered their hot roast beef sandwich and had to take half of it home,” she said.

Joe Sobel, who works next door, said he likes the fact that Gaspich supports local artists by displaying their artwork, which is available for sale on consignment.

“I’d like to get to the point where I rotate it out every few months,” said Gaspich.

Sobel said he appreciates the fact that the owner has such close ties to Harrisburg. He also enjoys the welcoming atmosphere and the homemade family recipes, including the soups and omelets.

“Everything is fresh and tastes good. For lunch, I often choose the wraps because they’re well done,” he said.

Specials vary daily and diners can preview them by visiting the Anna T’s Facebook page.

For those who want to bring meals home to the family, takeout is available along with seating up front for customers to relax as they wait.

For Gaspich, Anna T’s has been a satisfying second act as he enjoys his new career as a restaurateur.

“My favorite part is chatting with customers and seeing their smiles,” he said. “The fact that I’m putting out comfort foods at a good price makes me happy.”

Anna T’s is located at 210 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg. Hours are Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 24 hours from Friday through Sunday at 2 p.m. For more information, call 717-236-1110 or visit the Facebook page: Anna T’s.

Bending Sound: Carlisle-based Rivers dives into the local indie scene.

June 1, 2015 | by Missy Smith

Rivers is a smattering of genre-bending sounds—tapping into folk rock, pop, funk, blues, chamber pop, Americana, roots rock and alternative—that make up a fluid and dynamic indie folk style.

But, when you think you can put a finger on their overall sound, Rivers keeps you guessing. That’s the beauty of their music.

After just two short years of playing together, Joe Schaefer, 25, Matt Sinkovitz, 31, and Vincent Yarnell, 25, are eagerly working to get their distinctive folk amalgamation into the eardrums of as many people as possible.

“People really love our music,” said Sinkovitz, the percussionist. “It’s amazing to share what you’ve created with people and get such a positive response. It makes you feel like you are doing something right. We have kids sitting around us at farmers markets, and we play senior homes. We can hold it down for most audiences.”

They regularly play at some favorite local spots—Appalachian Brewing Co., Little Amps, Suba and The MakeSpace in Harrisburg, as well as the fourth Monday of every month at Andalusia Tapas Bar in their hometown of Carlisle. They’re also picking up gigs at bars, restaurants, markets and festivals in places like Philadelphia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Influences and Sounds

Yarnell leads the vocals and plays guitar and banjo with acoustic grit and smoky soul, drawing inspiration from musicians like James Taylor, the Wood Brothers and Gorillaz.

Schaefer’s voice and upright bass are smooth and easy going, yet fearless. Drawing from his classical training and love of bassist Edgar Meyer, he lends classical sounds, but can rock out fiercely.

“Joe just bashes the bass. He plays it like a 12-piece drum set,” said Yarnell, who added that his bandmate is “super funky.”

Sinkovitz is the rhythmic heartbeat of Rivers as the percussionist, bringing a love of many genres to the table—jazz, classical and hip-hop—from Simon and Garfunkel to The Notorious B.I.G.

Drawing from wide-ranging influences and sounds, the seven-track “Rivers (EP)” is a pleasing, multifaceted experience.

Pop folk ballad “Heartland” is an inviting, smooth listen that has potential for commercial appeal. “Halymorpha Halys Blues” channels gritty alternative rock and moody blues, cleverly relaying the plight of a brown marmorated stink bug—its scientific name serving as the song’s namesake. “Photographic Memories” weaves the swing and coolness of jazz with the plucking cadence of bluegrass.

The EP’s cover, a collage crafted by Carlisle artist Aron Rook, seamlessly joins Rivers’ folk rock sound with its indie image.

“We just asked her to use a piece from a collage series she had recently created,” Sinkovitz said. “Aron is our favorite artist and has done several poster designs for us as well.”

By the end of the summer, Rivers plans to release a second EP, and, as 2015 wraps up, they hope to record a full album of more original material.

Open Mic Magic

Rivers formed thanks to the area’s active open mic circuit.

Sinkovitz and Yarnell met each other first at the Alibis open mic in Carlisle and started playing together.

“I was drawn to Vince because I could immediately see that he was a great guitar player and a strong, original songwriter,” said Sinkovitz. “Once we started playing together, we discussed trying to find a bass player.”

Shortly thereafter, they saw Schaefer perform at the Courthouse Common open mic.

“His skill level and ‘sick-nastiness’ on the bass is what encouraged us to reach out to him,” said Sinkovitz.

You could say that the three musicians were at the right open mics at the right time.

“We were there just to perform and play music. Our meeting was serendipitous,” said Sinkovitz.

After just a year of playing together, the young folk musicians made a momentous decision. They hung up their hats at their day jobs and embarked on the life of a full-time band.

This year, they have set a goal of playing 200 dates and, counting June bookings, were almost halfway there.

“It feels good to make a goal and see the goal in action working for you,” said Yarnell. “This is the best job you could ever ask for. If we have a day off [from playing], we are writing more songs.We are paying the bills getting to play music from our hearts.”

To find Rivers shows in the area and to download “Rivers (EP),” visit www.theriversband.com.

June Concert Dates

June 6, 9-11 p.m.—Suba Mangia Qui, Harrisburg
June 10, 3-7 p.m.—Farmers on the Square, Carlisle
June 19, 9 p.m.- 12 a.m.—Yardz Bar and Grill, Enola
June 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.—Broad Street Market, Harrisburg
June 22, 6-9 p.m.—Andalusia, Carlisle
June 27, 4-8 p.m.—Music in the Garden, Carlisle

History Hop: Canals, old buildings, antiques and Bunny Burgers round out a tour of Perry County.

June 1, 2015 | by Don Helin

When people think of Perry County, they may think first of hunting and fishing, maybe hiking or camping. But history buffs, take note: a colorful past pervades the county’s hills, valleys and towns.

Dennis Hocker, president of the Historical Society of Perry County, thinks about local history a lot. Therefore, he was the perfect guide for a daylong tour of this fascinating place that, nearly two centuries ago, was sliced out of neighboring Cumberland County.

“There are so many historical sites in Perry County that I’ve picked just a few to allow you to enjoy the drive, with a few refreshments along the way,” Hocker explained at the start of our trip.

We began our tour ensuring that we’d be properly nourished for the journey ahead, heading to one of the county’s best-known (and oldest) eateries.

Opened on Mother’s Day 1964, the Red Rabbit Drive-In outside of Duncannon is a throwback to the time of the British invasion and the original Ford Mustang. There’s nothing faux about the Red Rabbit—it just hasn’t changed in 50-plus years.

“With no inside seating, carhops take your order, just like back in the day,” said Hocker.

Similarly, the architecture and décor recall a time gone by, as does the menu (if it’s your first time, go with the locally famous Bunny Burger, along with the requisite fries and shake). There also are a few picnic tables around the lot for those afraid of spilling bunny dust (a special French fry seasoning) in their cars.

Following lunch, we stopped nearby at the Juniata Junction lock at the Amity Hall exit of Route 322.

The canal era in Pennsylvania, begun in 1827, was a complex, engineering marvel. When the Juniata River portion of the system opened in 1832, the canal extended to Hollidaysburg at the eastern end of the Allegheny Portage Railroad, 127 miles west of the Susquehanna River. A total of 86 locks was required to overcome a change in elevation of 584 feet over the full length of the canal, which cut the travel time from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh from weeks to a few days.

“The Juniata Junction was the traffic director on the canal system from Harrisburg,” Hocker said. “It allowed canal boats to either continue further north or turn westward toward Pittsburgh.”

To gain a sense of what riding on the canal was like, continue a bit farther west to the borough of Newport and stop at the town square. To your left, you’ll be treated to a mural on the wall of the Perry County Council of the Arts showing a canal boat on the move. Newport was an important stop on the early system, a launch point for crops and lumber headed to cities in the east. While there, stop at local favorite Espresso Yourself for a quick jolt or snack in the charming, historic storefront on the square.

Critical Time
On the other side of Newport, a short distance away, is Little Buffalo State Park. When you reach the park entrance, turn left onto State Park Road.

The Blue Ball Tavern was built in 1762 and purchased by Peter Koch in 1793. His son opened a tavern there in the late 1700s, and its proximity to the Juniata Furnace, an iron works, made it a gathering spot for locals. The tavern offered food, drink and a sleeping loft.

“The Blue Ball Tavern took on a critical role during the war of 1812,” said Ben Ranney, naturalist at Little Buffalo State Park. “The tavern was strategically located on what was at the time called the ‘Great Road,’ linking the military post in Carlisle with the town of Sunbury.”

When the dispatch rider from Carlisle arrived, the owner of the Blue Ball Tavern would provide him something to drink, then signal the owner of the White Ball Tavern on the ridge overlooking the road to saddle another horse for the rider.

“Refreshed, the rider would pass through Newport, then cross the Juniata River at Reider’s Ferry and be on his way,” said Ranney. “This system helped maintain communications between Washington, D.C., and Fort Niagara during a critical time in our history. “

The tavern closed in 1841 and is currently managed by the Historical Society of Perry County.

Year Round
Leaving Blue Ball Tavern, follow the signs to Shoaff’s Mill. As you walk up to the mill from the parking lot, enjoy a stroll through Clay’s Bridge, a burr arch-style covered bridge. Built in 1890, the bridge was moved to its current site in 1971.

When the Juniata Furnace Iron Works closed in 1848, William Shoaff bought 63 acres, which included a mid-1830s gristmill and a log cabin. The commonwealth purchased the mill in 1966 and renovated it in 1976 for grinding cracked corn and apples.

Once you leave the mill, follow Route 34 into the borough of New Bloomfield. At the square, take a moment to observe the historic Perry County Court House. Built in 1826, it’s the oldest continually used courthouse in Pennsylvania. In the middle of the square, the Soldiers and Sailors Statue dates back to 1898 and honors Perry County citizens who lost their lives in war.

It’s only a mile from New Bloomfield along Route 274 East to Huckleberry Road and the Hoverter and Sholl Box Huckleberry Natural Area. Gene Odato, the district forester at the Tuscarora State Forest, has responsibility for the site.

“This 10 acres is Pennsylvania’s smallest state-designated natural area,” Odato said. “The specimens of box huckleberry here have been estimated, based on their observed rate of growth and clonal reproduction, to be between 1,200 to 1,300 years old.”

A nature trail winds throughout the box huckleberry plants. Because the plant is an evergreen, keeping its leaves in the winter, this natural area attracts visitors year round.

After your visit, continue on Route 274 East into the borough of Duncannon and follow Market Street into town. On the town square, you’ll pass the Doyle Hotel, famous among hikers on the Appalachian Trail as a great place to stop for a meal to celebrate reaching the mid-point of the trail.

Ice Cream & Archeology
If the mood strikes you, consider stopping for a treat at the 3B Ice Cream shop. Then you can walk across the street to the Clark’s Ferry Tavern and check out the archeology dig, which is open to the public most Sunday afternoons.

“The Clark’s Ferry Tavern, the oldest building in Duncannon, was originally built in 1788,” Hocker explained. “It served as a docking point for the ferry crossing the Susquehanna River and a stage stop on the first road westward. During the Civil War, it was known as the Topley Hotel and served as a mustering point for men of Company B of the famed Pennsylvania Bucktails.”

Round out your trip with a stop at the Old Sled Works. In 1904, the production of Lightning Guider sleds opened in this two-block-long factory building. For nearly 85 years, millions of sleds and other wood products were built here and shipped throughout the United States. At one point, the factory had become the largest sled production facility in the country.

“My dad bought what was then called the Standard Novelty Works in 1968, and it continued to operate as such until the fall of 1990,” said owner Jimmy Rosen. “I was only 26 when my dad turned the sled works over to me. I could hardly wait to begin refurbishing the building to make it sparkle like so many of the others I’d seen.”

Today, more than 120 vendors pack the Old Sled Works to sell a wide range of antiques and crafts. To add to the old-timey atmosphere, Rosen has styled the building so families can amuse themselves at the penny arcade and buy a milkshake at a real soda fountain. There’s even a sled museum inside.

I hope you enjoy your tour. For those of you looking for more information on the history of Perry County, check out www.perryheritage.com. Dennis Hocker has written 12 books on the history of Perry County. I think you’ll find them informative and fun to read.

Getting There
The Red Rabbit Drive-In is located on Route 322 one-half mile west of the Clark’s Ferry Bridge and one-quarter mile east of Route 11/15. The hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit www.redrabbitdrivein.com.

Juniata Junction and the Canal Lock. Take the Amity Hall exit off Route 322 then turn left at the bottom of the hill and park at the River Road sign. Walk about 300 yards up the southbound exit ramp (to the right of, and along, the PennDOT yard) until the ramp bends to the left. The trail will be to the right, across from the smallest PennDOT building.

When you reach the bottom of a short hill, you will be in the canal itself. If you look to your right, you’ll see what is left of the canal, which headed north along what is now Route 11/15. There was a bridge across the northbound canal for the mules to turn the boats destined to enter the Juniata River branch of the canal and go west.

As you walk straight ahead, you’ll see the towpath at the top of the berm to your right for the mules that pulled the canal boat toward the lock. In about 800 yards, you’ll reach the Juniata Junction Lock. Notice the cut stone sides of the lock, which have weathered almost 200 years.

Blue Ball Tavern Museum is located at 59 State Park Rd. directly across from the Little Buffalo State Park offices. The site is open Sundays during the summer, 1 to 4 p.m.

Shoaff’s Mill is located at 1579 State Park Rd., one-half mile up the road from the Blue Ball Tavern. This 19^th-century mill still runs on the 103-year-old, 32-foot waterwheel. It’s open Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. from May to the third weekend in October. For information about tours, call 717-567-9255.

Hoverter and Sholl Box Huckleberry Natural Area is one-half mile along Huckleberry Road from Route 274. When you see the sign for Arbutus Lane, pull over and stop along the side of the road. The site is on the left, up the hill. For more information, call the Tuscarora Forest District Headquarters at 717-536-3191 or email [email protected].

The Old Sled Works is located at 722 N. Market St. in Duncannon hours and is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, go to www.sledworks.com or call 717-834-9333.

Don Helin published his first thriller, “Thy Kingdom Come,” in 2009. His recently published novel, “Devil’s Den,” has been selected as a finalist in the Indie Book Awards. His latest thriller, “Secret Assault,” was published in November. Contact Don on his website, www.donhelin.com.

A Bright Idea: Lighten Up Harrisburg gears up for its second Glow Run.

June 1, 2015 | by Rebecca Hanlon

Got glow gear?

Then you’re already prepared for this month’s 5K Glow Run, which, for a second year, will make the city a little brighter by raising money to install LED lights on streets that need it most.

Runners and walkers of all ages and fitness levels will fill Riverfront Park with neon glow sticks, necklaces, bracelets and a variety of other lights as they participate in the night-time run. And, if you lack any manner of glowing, blinking bling, don’t fret. You can always pick up some at the race.

“I was blown away by the people who responded and showed up last year,” said event coordinator Stacia Zewe of Lighten Up Harrisburg. “When you plan a party, you’re like, ‘Gosh, I hope somebody comes.’ I couldn’t believe how many people cared.”

Last year, $22,000 was donated to Harrisburg for lighting improvements along Front Street, Zewe said.

While the city donated labor for the installation of the lights, the money raised from the 5K helped replace 14 streetlights in that area, she said.

Lighten Up Harrisburg is no stranger to making the city shine brighter. The organization’s other projects have included the Walnut Street Bridge relighting and lighting work on Allison Hill.

Despite the improvement along Front Street thanks to last year’s run, the lighting project still must be completed, Zewe said. If the event can raise enough money, Lighten Up Harrisburg would like to focus on other streets, too.

“Overall, people were happy to see that something was done so quickly,” Zewe said. “Within a month of the Glow Run, we had replaced 14 lights on Front Street, so people could see that what they did helped make an immediate impact.”

To keep things fresh this year, the run will feature the fun street band No Last Call at the turnaround point to help keep runners and walkers motivated.

Also, last year’s after-party at Sawyer’s Cantina meant participants younger than 21 couldn’t celebrate post-race. In an effort to include all runners, a small party will be held at the starting point in Riverfront Park.

For Zewe, it’s still surprising to see the community event she dreamed up turn into such a popular race. A runner herself, she saw the need to provide better lighting in the city.

While she hasn’t created a hard financial goal for this year, she’s hopeful that even more money will be raised, largely due to corporate sponsors. WCI Partners, City House Bed and Breakfast, Mid Penn Bank and Road ID are among those contributing.

“Last year, I think all of us were blown away because the event was our baby, and it learned to crawl and run in the same night,” Zewe said. “It’s so different and such a good cause. It’s important to me that we keep that kind of excitement going.”

Lighten Up Harrisburg’s 5K Glow Run is set for 8:40 p.m. on June 6. The race starts in Riverfront Park, Harrisburg, just south of State Street. Pre-registered runners can pick up bibs and race information at TheBurg offices, 2601 N. Front St., 3 to 6 p.m., on June 5. Registration is $30 for adults and $20 for kids 12 and under. For more information, visit www.lightenupharrisburg.com.

The Lounge Next Door: Romance, rooftop are part of the expanded 704 Lounge.

June 1, 2015 | by Julie Vitto

At Harrisburg’s 704 Lounge, a stunning, upscale addition is ready for its close-up.

Several years ago, owners Brett Johnson and Russ Harr bought the circa-1881 townhouse next door to their original bar, both located across the street from the state Capitol complex. They then began a series of renovations that removed part of the wall that divided the two properties, adding a new kitchen and second-floor bar area.

Like that, the new Cielo Lounge was born (in Italian, cielo means sky or heavens).

In the beautiful addition, guests can sit comfortably and admire the work of local and national artists along with a colorful collection of Depression-era glass gleaming in the built-in display case. The space has a partially enclosed nook perfect for private conversations. A Chihuly-inspired, hand-blown chandelier takes center stage in the original foyer, which has a clean, modern feel with Victorian-era details about the room.

“Anything from 1881, we kept,” said Harr of the historic townhouse.

The property has been lovingly restored to show off its best assets. Prominently featured in the foyer is the original fireplace, gorgeous stained-glass windows and a winding staircase, which the wait staff uses to access the new, second-floor bar servicing the Cielo Lounge.

Johnson meticulously designed the Cielo Lounge with Brazilian Koa wood floors, wall coverings from Germany, rosewood mahogany tables and sparkling light fixtures by Yale. 2D artwork by Orna Amrani is hung as a focal point along the main wall.

Gold, bronze and silver accents provide a romantic and relaxed atmosphere in the sunken bar lounge. Step up through the sliding glass doors and the glowing rooftop invites you to admire the Pennsylvania State Museum and Capitol building. The rooftop also has one of the best views for fireworks in the city.

“You don’t even have to bend your neck,” said Johnson of the view.

The Cielo Lounge has a state-of-the-art sound system and is equipped to host business meetings and events. Though the space just opened, there are already two weddings booked, as well as several social and charity events.

The lounge also functions as a dance floor on Fridays and Saturdays with different themes like salsa and swing nights led by dance instructors.

704 Lounge offer a tapas menu and a new drink list with specialty cocktails, some with edible flowers. Speakeasy nights feature old-fashioned concoctions sourced from a 1920s drink recipe book found by Johnson. On Sundays, you can make your own bloody Mary from your choice of three kinds of tomato juice, a house mix and all manner of garnishes. Wait staff takes drink orders from both the lounge and rooftop.

The renovations have been a labor of love for Johnson and Harr. They explained that some of the inspiration for designing the Cielo Lounge came from places they’ve visited like Upstairs at the Kimberly atop the Kimberly Hotel in Manhattan. Johnson couldn’t recall a place in Los Angeles that could quite match what they’ve achieved at 704 Lounge.

“Everything is designed,” said Johnson, a long-time professional in the field. “From the wall coverings and silks to original art, it’s all hand done.”

Johnson worked as a designer and project consultant in L.A. when he met Harr, who had moved from Pennsylvania in 1990. Harr found success managing artists for events such as the Oscars, which he continues to do. In 2010, they relocated to Harrisburg and created Bar 704, the original name for the business before two expansions.

“I never thought I’d come back,” said Harr of the return to his home state.

The affordability of the area has allowed them to do what they love and do it with style. In the five years that they’ve been open, 704 Lounge has become known for its annual Night of Glamour, which celebrates the Oscars during its live broadcast. Along with a red carpet, awards are offered for the best-dressed man, woman and couple of the evening.

Neither Johnson nor Harr would have guessed they’d one day own a bar, but their love of people and art led them to where they are now.

“We are very proud,” Johnson said of their establishment. “It’s an ‘everybody’ bar.”

704 Lounge is located at 704 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.704pa.com or call 717-234-4226.

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