Musical Notes: Showing Your Roots–Americana steams in for June.

May 30, 2014 | by Andrew Dyrli Hermeling

Dan Webster is stepping away from “Musical Notes” for the time being, so I’ll be covering his duties. They’re big shoes to fill, but I hope to do justice to his monthly guide to Harrisburg’s wealth of live music.

This month finds the city’s music scene taking on an air of Americana, with both established and upstart song-writers and musicians bringing their brands of traditional American folk music to Harrisburg’s stages. With the summer heat rolling in, now is the perfect time to get in touch with our nation’s musical roots and soak up the sounds of our nation’s ramblin’ troubadours.

GLENN JONES with author STEVE LOWENTHAL, 6/5, 7 P.M., MIDTOWN SCHOLAR, $8/$10

Glenn Jones first gained acclaim as the guitarist and principal composer for the experimental, post-rock band Cul de Sac. However, his current work takes him in a different direction. Always fascinated by the compositional opportunities made available by open tunings, his solo work features complex, finger-picked melodies rooted in primitive American folk traditions. Despite being instrumental, Jones’ performances are seemingly narrative, weaving stories through sound that are instantly recognizable even in their wordlessness. However, this particular show, presented by Moviate, will not be totally devoid of speech as Jones will be joined by Steve Lowenthal, who will be reading from his recent biography of guitarist and Jones collaborator, John Fahey, titled “Dance of Death.”

LUCINDA WILLIAMS, 6/10, 7:30 P.M., THE WHITAKER CENTER, $38.50/$48.50

The folk-rock and country songwriter Lucinda Williams released her first record, “Ramblin’,” in 1978; her most recent, “Blessed,” came out in 2011. Within this span of time, she garnered considerable attention, won three Grammy Awards, and collaborated with Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson and M. Ward, among countless others. Her songs represent the best that folky roots rock has to offer, that smoky moodiness that evokes memories of lost love and the darker secrets of the past. This show will especially appeal to those who have grown tired of the market-driven, focus-group approved, honky-tonk pop that Nashville keeps churning out these days.

DAVID MAYFIELD PARADE, 6/25, 8 P.M., THE ABBEY BAR, $8/$10

The David Mayfield Parade is traveling the trail blazed by bands such as the Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons, a new generation of alt-country rockers trying to reclaim their roots. Combining traditional Americana with a youthful, do-it-yourself aesthetic, Mayfield brings driving energy to songs of heartbreak and hard traveling, all sung with a voice that sounds old and seasoned. His most recent album, “Good Man Down,” was crowd-funded and released in 2013. It is fitting that this show takes place at a bar, as Mayfield’s sound conjures up images of late nights spent in dive bars with pitchers of beer, whiskey shots and the pain caused by the girl who got away.

Mentionables: MV & EE w/Banners and Floats, Little Amps Uptown, 6/1; Sam Moss, Midtown Scholar, 6/6; Bob Mould, HMAC, 6/12; Vinegar Creek Constituency w/The Vulcans, HMAC 6/20; Star Rover, The MakeSpace, 6/29

Community Corner: Notable Events in June

May 30, 2014 | by Admin

Tee Off FORE Children’s Cancer

June 2: The Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation’s charity golf outing returns this year to The Country Club of Harrisburg, 401 Fishing Creek Valley Rd., Harrisburg. Registration is required and begins at noon. Activities start at 1 p.m. and include an 18-hole outing followed by an awards dinner at 6 p.m. Foursomes are $400 and individual golfers are $100. For more information or to register, visit golf.childrenscancerrecovery.org.

Leads Over Lunch

June 3: The Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC will hold its monthly lunchtime networking event, with a chance to mix and mingle with the regional business community. The event takes place 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hershey Center for Applied Research, 1214 Research Blvd., Hummelstown. The event is free. Registration is required. For more, visit www.harrisburgregionalchamber.org.

Appalachian Trail Banquet

June 6: The Allenberry Resort in Boiling Springs will host the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame Banquet, conducted by the Appalachian Trail Museum. There will be musical entertainment, a book signing and a speaker. The events begin at 6 p.m. The cost for the reception and dinner is $30 for members and $40 for others. For more information, visit www.atmbanquet2014.eventbrite.com.

Glow Run

June 7: Grab a glow stick and help make Harrisburg brighter. The 5K will raise money to replace lights along Front Street. It begins at 8:30 p.m. in Riverfront Park, with an after-party at Sawyer’s Cantina, 210 N. 2^nd St. Pre-registration is $25 for adults and $10 for children under 14. Day-of registration is $28 for adults and $15 for children. For more information and to register, sponsor or donate, visit https://historicharrisburg.com.

Launch Party

June 7: Local Magazine will hold a launch party for its new issue, which focuses on stories from Harrisburg and includes an interview with former Mayor Steve Reed. The party begins at 8 p.m. at Der Maennerchor, 221 North St., Harrisburg. Cover is $10 and includes food, music, contributor readings and video shorts. For more information, visit https://localmag.us

Spring Fling

June 7: The Museum of Bus Transportation will hold a Spring Fling during which visitors can view the largest collection of antique buses in the United States, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Displays will be located in the Antique Auto Museum in Hershey with a shuttle bus available to the Museum of Bus Transportation. The cost is $5. More information is at www.aacamuseum.org.

Tour de Belt

June 8: The ride around the Capital Area Greenbelt returns for a twelfth year, kicking off at 10 a.m. at the main HACC campus in Harrisburg. The 20-mile bike trip raises money for the Capital Area Greenbelt Association, which helps maintain the trail. Register online at www.caga.org or in person on the day of the event.

Fund Raising Gala

June 8: The Civic Club of Harrisburg will host its second fund-raising gala for the restoration of the “Outlook” building at 612 N. Front St., Harrisburg. All proceeds go to the mansion’s restoration. The gala begins at 5:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.civicclubofharrisburg.com.

History Day Presentations

June 8: Students will present their History Day projects to mark National History Day at the Harris-Cameron Mansion, 219 S. Front St., Harrisburg. Tours of the mansion will begin at 1 p.m., followed by the event at 2:30 p.m. A $5 donation is suggested. This event is free for members of the Historical Society of Dauphin County. For more information, visit www.dauphincountyhistory.org.

School Introduction

June 9: The Circle School of Harrisburg will host a video presentation and program to introduce parents, children and teenagers to student-directed education. Refreshments will be served and limited childcare is available. The program begins 6:30 p.m. at the school, 210 Oakleigh Ave., Harrisburg. Registration is free at www.circleschool.org or by calling 717-564-6700.

Discovery Programs

June 9: Register your child for a five-week session that begins this week. Topics range from math, science, and art to healthy eating. Discovery programs are free and advance registration is required, with registration beginning May 27 and ending July 23. For more information, visit www.dcls.org or call your local library.

Afternoon Networking Mixer

June 12: Make connections with the PA Landscape Group at PA Landscape Group Inc., 920 Limekiln Rd, New Cumberland. There will be an opportunity to enjoy the latest in outdoor living and the display garden. The event is free to attend and begins at 11:30 a.m. For more information, visit www.wschamber.org.

Baltimore Steel Orchestra

June 12: Baltimore’s official steel drum band kicks off the 2014 Summer Concerts on the Lawn at the Fredricksen Library at 7 p.m. This is an all-ages event. For more information, visit www.fredricksenlibrary.org.

The Elegance and Ascent at Hershey

June 13-15: This weekend-long event includes The Grand Ascent, a challenging automobile hill climb; the Elegance Challenge, a timed 5K; and the Elegance at Hershey, a judged event featuring some of the world’s rarest vehicles. For registration and more information, visit www.aacamuseum.org.

Volunteer Work Day

June 14: Take an opportunity to work outdoors while helping the mission of Wildwood Park. Meet at the Nature Center at 10 a.m. No registration is required but call 717-221-0292 if bringing a group of six or more. More information is available at www.wildwoodlake.org.

The Journey of a Victim

June 14: Run a 5k that will help provide support to crime victims, witnesses and others at City Island, Harrisburg. Registration begins at 7 a.m. at a cost of $30. All ages are welcome and the run begins at 8 a.m. For more information, visit www.victimwitness.org.

Knit in Public Day

June 14: Bring a blanket or lawn chair and your latest knitting project to knit on the lawn at the Fredricksen Library, 1 to 4 p.m. An experienced knitter will be on hand to help and answer questions. This is a free event. For more information, visit www.fredricksenlibrary.org.

Music & Wine Festival

June 14-15: Listen to music of national and local artists and sip local wines at the annual Dauphin County Music & Wine Festival in Fort Hunter Park. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the gate, good for both days. Remember to bring a lawn chair or blanket. For more information, visit www.forthunter.org.

Day Out with Thomas

June 14-22; Sep. 13-21: Thomas the Tank Engine from the “Thomas & Friends” series is coming to Strasburg Rail Road, 301 Gap Rd., Ronks. Families can ride with Thomas and take part in various Thomas-themed activities. Tickets are $21 for ages two and up. For more information and directions, visit www.strasburgrailroad.com or call 866-725-9666.

Summer Soirees

June 14, 21: The first of five summer garden parties will be held to raise funds for the Art Association of Harrisburg programs. The Shipoke Soiree will be held June 14, 5 to 8 p.m., hosted by Melissa and Michael Snyder. The Italian Lake Soiree will take place June 21, 5to 8 p.m., at the home of Wendell and Brenda Hoover. For more information, visit www.artassocofhbg.com.

Business After Hours

June 19: Join the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC and David’s Furniture & Interiors at the June Business After Hours to mingle with other local business professionals. This event is free. Registration is required. For more information, visit www.harrisburgregionalchamber.org.

3^rd in The Burg

June 20: Enjoy a night out on the town during Harrisburg’s monthly arts event, held each third Friday. Walk among numerous galleries, art spaces, restaurants and music venues—or hop the Sutliff shuttle for a free ride. Check the back cover of TheBurg for a list of venues and times or visit www.thirdintheburg.org.

Museum Car Show

June 21: A car show will be held, open to all makes, models and years of cars. The event will celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Mustang and will have raffle prizes, live entertainment and more. Advance registration is $10 or $15 the day of the show. For registration and more information, visit www.aacamuseum.org.

Classics at the Mansion

June 22: Listen to classical music and view classic cars at Fort Hunter Mansion, Harrisburg. While visiting the gardens, enjoy the strains of classical guitarist Steve Jewette and view vintage Rolls Royce cars. More information is at www.forthunter.org.

Evening Network Mixer

June 24: Holy Spirit Hospital will host a networking event at the Holy Spirit Health System Auditorium, 503 N. 21^st St, Camp Hill. The mixer is an opportunity to build business relationships in a fun atmosphere. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. and is free to attend. For more information, visit www.wschamber.org.

Celebrate Diversity Reception

June 25: The Rose Garden at the Rose Lehrman Arts Center at HACC will host an evening of networking that brings together diverse organizations from across the region. There is no charge to attend, but pre-registration is required. For more information, visit www.harrisburgregionalchamber.org.

FolkLife Festival Bus Trip

June 28: A bus trip to Washington, D.C., will take place for the annual Smithsonian FolkLife Festival. This year’s festival focuses on China and Kenya. The bus departs from the Camp Hill Radisson at 8:30 a.m. and returns 9:30 p.m. For more information visit www.fredricksenlibrary.org.

Pride of the County: In Dauphin County, Harrisburg went from being embraced to shunned. Is the pendulum swinging back?

May 30, 2014 | by Tara Leo Auchey

The relationship between Dauphin County and the City of Harrisburg is an interesting one to ponder.

Historically, the two entities go hand in hand. John Harris, Jr. famously lobbied for the establishment of Dauphin County, as well as for the location of the county seat. The to-be-named Harrisburg became the hub, winning out over Middletown.

Harris was even wise to seal the deal by giving the county several plots of land on Market and Walnut Streets. Together the city and the county evolved to be prominent and significant, most especially when designated the state’s capital.

Currently, there are 40 municipalities in Dauphin County. It’s typical, though, to think of the county as being made up of “the city” and “the 39 municipalities.”

Technically inextricable from one another, in most people’s minds—including many county and city elected officials’—the city is separate and apart from the rest of the county.

Over time, it has increasingly stood alone and not necessarily in high esteem.

When the financial crisis bubbled to the surface, mass disregard for the city became more apparent. Few people in Dauphin County believed the city was worth saving, especially if they were expected to help or care. If that were the case, they were prepared to let it die.

More and more, the city was alienated and scoffed at. Ridiculed and scorned.

Of course, it wasn’t always like that. There was a time when the city was the center of the entire region, the place to be. It was where people came for commerce, business, shopping, education, art, culture, food, music, socializing and work.

However, it wasn’t just Harrisburg’s recent fiscal woes that altered its reputation and attraction. The decline started a long time ago. As post-World War II suburbia began its sprawl and superhighways enabled people to move faster and more freely to places like shopping malls, places of employment and homes with big yards, the city lost its appeal.

People stopped coming here and industry and businesses left.

As that happened over decades, the other Dauphin County municipalities grew more robust and stable. The city—once the nexus—was practically useless to them. If it weren’t for the fact that Harrisburg is the capital and county seat, it might have perished a long time ago.

This situation wasn’t unique to Harrisburg. It was a statewide and national trend. Cities emptied out as their usefulness was replaced. This is why Pennsylvania has so many cities in the state’s Act 47 fiscal distress program—and why more continue to enter.

Harrisburg had the added condition of Hurricane Agnes in 1972. That did nothing but add incredible injury to an already insulted place. The flood waters soaked and rotted whole sections of the city, leaving not much more than prime pickings for those looking for places on the cheap, slumlords included.

By the 1980s, the city had become “that place.” Dirty, blighted, crime-ridden, and, yes, poor.

Most of Dauphin County pretended it didn’t exist. Necessary trips to the city were lamented, done during the day, and executed with an in-and-out intent.

Then that began to change little by little. When Harrisburg’s renaissance got started in the last years of the millennium, downtown transformed from a virtual wasteland to an improving urban center, with Strawberry Square, the Hilton, Restaurant Row and the Whitaker Center.

People started to visit again for more than just errands. Commuters stayed longer and lingered and even returned on the weekends. Visitors had a place to stay overnight and enjoy the scene.

While this provided a useful, interesting, entertaining and enjoyable urban space for some people’s use, it did not succeed in re-earning much of the county’s acceptance. It didn’t succeed in redeeming the city’s position as an integral place.

There are still far too many county neighbors who don’t venture to the city. Too many of those who do visit and work here fail to go beyond the lines of downtown to experience more of the city’s revitalization. Destinations like the Broad Street Market, Harrisburg Cemetery, Italian Lake, Allison Hill murals and the statues of Reservoir Park are missed. Delicious eateries throughout the city go unnoticed. Boutiques and special events are overlooked.

At the annual State of the County dinner in April, each one of the commissioners remarked on the city’s value. They applauded its recovery and potential. They talked of collaboration and cooperation. They commended the city’s elected leadership and its residents. For the first time in a long time, they spoke highly of the city.

Hopefully, their speeches signify a change in attitude and symbolize a sincere reconciliation between the city and the county. Optimistically, their new attitudes will influence many others. It’s a message we should all be touting and spreading around the region—Harrisburg is a virtue of Dauphin County rather than its bane.

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

A Murder & a Mullet: “Cold in July” revives the southern Gothic thriller.

May 30, 2014 | by Sammi Leigh Melville

This month’s review is another adaptation, this time of Joe R. Lansdale’s book, “Cold in July,” about a man in east Texas and the mess he gets himself in.

The only thing Richard Dane (Michael C. Hall) ever wanted was to protect his family. And one night, when he and his wife awaken to the sound of breaking glass in their east Texas home, Richard gets that opportunity.

Our quiet, mullet-wearing everyman immediately breaks out his gun to protect his wife and son, but jumpy nerves cause him to misfire and kill the unarmed intruder. The police comfort Richard, telling him the intruder was Freddy Russell, a wanted felon, and that he merely pulled the trigger out of self-defense. It seems, according to the whole of the police force, that Richard did the right thing.

Unfortunately, Freddy’s father, Ben Russell (Sam Shepard), doesn’t think so. Ben has just gotten parole, and, when he sees Richard at the funeral, threatens him and his own son, calm and confident. Richard goes to the police, and after some slight difficulties, the police take action, using the Dane family as bait in order to take in Ben.

However, Richard feels that something is awry when he spots a picture of Freddy in the police station that doesn’t look like the man he killed. He does some snooping, and ends up running into Ben again, this time teaming up with him and a pig-farmer-gone-detective, Jim Bob Luke (Don Johnson), as they realize that the police are covering up something big—something involving the Dixie Mafia.

There are plenty of plot holes in this thriller. Richard starts off wanting to know whom he killed and then drops the search at some point. Also, he and the man who just terrorized his family seem pretty quick to jump on the same team to work together.

It is fair to say that director Jim Mickle focused on drawing out the action instead of finding a seamless plot, but the film is gripping, nonetheless, and draws you into a fascinating scenario as the three men take fate into their own hands. Hall leads with a quiet yet resolute performance, and Johnson charms his way through the film. But Shepard gives the most heartbreaking performance as his character wrestles with the situation at hand, transforming from a chilling baddie to a jaded father.

The performances are just part of the fun. The film’s 1980s-style art direction (did I mention Hall’s mullet?) draws you into the characters’ world, right down to the synth-y score by Jeff Grace. The film basically has all the general necessities of a fun watch: some great actors, a little action and violence, and a bit of humor. Overall, “Cold In July” is enjoyable and definitely something you should check out.

Sammi Leigh Melville is a staff member and film reviewer at the Midtown Cinema.

Midtown Cinema June Events

1st Sunday Brunch & a Movie

6/1 10:30 a.m. brunch and 11 a.m. screening of “Shakespeare in Love”

2nd Sunday Foreign Series

6/8 7 p.m. Fritz Lang’s 1927 German sci-fi drama “Metropolis”

2nd Friday Outdoor Film Series

6/13 Starts at dusk. The 1988 Tom Hanks comedy “Big”

2nd Saturday Morning Cartoons

6/14 Looney Toons 9:30-11:30

3rd Sunday Down in Front! Comedy riffing w/Jennie Adams

6/18 7 p.m. “Fire Maidens of Outer Space” (1956) BYOB

3rd in the Burg $3 Movie

6/20 9:30ish Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 musical romance “Moulin Rouge” BYOB

3rd Saturday Morning Cartoons

6/21 Looney Toons 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Sunday 6/22 2 p.m.

Short Film Micro Festival of PA filmmakers. Pay-what-you-will, showing the films “28 Hot Dogs,” “Here,” “Sitting,” “Fade In” and “Autumn”

4th Friday Outdoor Film Series

6/27 Starts at dusk. Spielberg’s 1981 “Raiders of the Lost Ark”

Sunday 6/29 4-7 p.m. Electric Car Fair

w/ 7p.m. screening of the 2011 documentary “Revenge of the Electric Car”

Sammi Leigh Melville is a staff member and film reviewer at the Midtown Cinema.

Fight the Blight: Harrisburg has engaged the battle, but there’s still much work to do.

May 30, 2014 | by J. Alex Hartzler

Spring is in the air in central Pennsylvania, and positive change can already be felt in our capital city. A renewed emphasis on cleaning up, fixing up and beautification has been evident in City Hall, and, indeed, in many areas of the city, through both private and public initiatives.

It is encouraging to see Councilwoman Sandra Reid working with the Papenfuse administration, and particularly Economic Development Director Jackie Parker, in an initiative to provide as many as 2,000 new trash cans to residents in areas that need them. Backed by significant private donations from PinnacleHealth and others, Ms. Reid has taken a positive first step, not only for the cleanup it promises, but perhaps for the signal it sends of a new era of much-needed cooperation between council and the mayor.

For his part, Mayor Eric Papenfuse has taken forceful action with his emphasis on cracking down on blight, abandoned buildings and property owners who let their buildings fall into disrepair. As reported by Paul Barker in his terrific article in TheBurg last month (“After the Fall,” p. 14), this emphasis has put all property owners (regardless of their standing in the community) on notice that now is the time to fix up properties or turn them over to others who will or face fines and even arrest.

Reporter Emily Previti also wrote an excellent in-depth piece for PennLive (just prior to taking her new position at WITF radio) where she contacted and called out several slum property owners, one as far away as Chicago. Talking to a property owner from his big-city mansion and asking tough questions is exactly the type of reporting that is both needed and welcome. Prospective buyers may think twice if they know the community is aware and watching.

Unfortunately, the problem is extensive in many parts of Harrisburg. According to city records, 391 buildings are currently condemned and in terrible condition. The city owns hundreds more through its Vacant Property Rehabilitation Board, and many other parcels are vacant and thus magnets for trash and weeds, besides generating no tax revenue.

If we are to solve the issue of blight in Harrisburg, it will take long-term, coordinated efforts by local, state and even federal governments to reverse the broader issues that led to the decline in the first place. The underlying causes are the subject of a future article, but, suffice it to say, they stem largely from the fact that these properties are, for the most part, not economically viable and may in fact have “negative value” (in other words, their worth is less than $0.00). The reasons for “negative value” are complex and relate to extremely high local real estate tax rates that drive out investment, distressed city schools, nearby properties of similar condition and so forth. All of these conditions make it economically irrational for any one person to invest in a property where the resulting investment is worth less than what one would need to spend to fix it up or build on it. Correcting these circumstances is a very complex issue that will not be solved quickly or easily.

In the meantime, however, we can and must take concrete efforts to do the best that we can with the situation we have currently.

Shine the light. Articles like Paul’s and Emily’s that report on specific cases are critical. Many of the offenders live out of town, but it is unlikely that their friends and neighbors will be impressed that the person they know is, in fact, a slumlord and part of the problem in the capital city of Pennsylvania. We need regular reporting with names, addresses and even pictures of the worst offenders. Watch these pages in the coming months for who is helping and who is hurting our city.
Clean up the trash. Many neighborhood and community groups have been working at cleaning up their local streets and neighborhoods. In addition to her city efforts, our columnist Tara Leo Auchey has been tireless in promoting her “2-Minute Tuesday” clean-up efforts, and we need more people to join her. Numerous community groups such as HYP, Friends of Midtown, the Olde Uptown Neighborhood Association and others have regular seasonal clean-up and beautification efforts. These need to be ongoing and have more volunteer support.
Fine the offenders. One of Mayor Papenfuse’s first initiatives was to move codes enforcement into the city’s police bureau. This effort to provide real teeth to codes enforcement is an example of smart city government that works. Fines should be real, they should be substantial, and they should be enforced with vigor. The mayor’s revival of a Housing Court is also an encouraging development. If local district justices refuse to enforce the rules, the public should be made aware, and they should be voted out and replaced by ones who will.
Land banking. The city should work with the state to expand its efforts to acquire vacant and condemned property and assemble them for re-sale to people and entities that will responsibly redevelop the properties and place them back on the tax rolls. The City of York has an aggressive program that regularly gives vacant property to responsible developers for exactly this purpose.
Transparency at the state corporation bureau. The state should require that a “real” person be named responsible for the formation of a company that is legally allowed to purchase real estate in Pennsylvania. This would ensure that prospective buyers know that they could be personally liable if such property falls into disrepair and violates local codes and ordinances.
Seek additional state and federal participation through Community Development Block Grant funding and similar programs.

These and other innovative ideas will go a long way to addressing this issue and are worthy of community support.

J. Alex Hartzler is publisher of TheBurg.

Can Pinot Make You Van Gogh?: Pick up a brush, a glass and find out at aMuse Uncorked.

May 30, 2014 | by Stephanie Kalina-Metzger

I’ve always envied those who are born with artistic talent. I’m convinced that it must be innate because, well, it’s not that I haven’t tried.

As a child, I was one of the few students who didn’t bolt out of my seat to dash down the hall when the bell rang, excited for art class. Try as I might, I just couldn’t progress beyond the stick-figure stage, let alone master shadows or perspective.

I became especially aware of my artistic shortcomings back in the eighth grade, when I chose what I thought would be an easy assignment—sketching one lone eyeball in pen and ink. I spent weeks on that blasted twinkly lashed orb and, despite my Herculean efforts, I just couldn’t get the “gleam” right.

Of course, my art teacher, observing the picture I was trying to recreate, saw a million shades of grey that were invisible to my naked eye. And then there was the time, in my mid-20s, when I enrolled in a pottery class held in Reservoir Park. Armed with cookie cutters, I was proud of myself as I cleverly stamped out designs for a set of chimes, until I witnessed the showoff beside me carving a Mayan sun god into a platter. I imagine the tween’s parents must have been pretty smug the day he brought that home.

Years have passed, and I haven’t ventured into the art arena since. So, when I heard about aMuse Uncorked Sip and Paint nights, I was intrigued and jumped at the chance—to sit in the audience as an observer, that is.

On the night I attended, several dozen budding artists donned smocks and gathered around tables in a large, brightly lit room at Harrisburg’s Passage to India restaurant. Adie and Bryan Hanisko, who run the business, stood nearby, overseeing operations.

“We launched the idea about a year ago after attending similar events in larger cities,” Bryan said. “We attended one in New York City and, as we began our research, we discovered that they were popular in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Baltimore. So, we decided to start one here.”

The two-hour classes cost $39 and are held at area restaurants, bars and wineries. The Haniskos also bring their paints and palettes to private parties.

Your Inner Artist

One by one, eager participants arrived on a chilly evening and sat side-by-side, facing blank canvases perched on miniature easels. The predominantly female group socialized with their neighbors, ordering appetizers and drinks from Passage to India staff while waiting for the painting party to begin.

All eyes were on Harrisburg resident Lindsey Weaver as she strode to the front of the room then gave step-by-step instructions on how to complete the evening’s project—“The Eiffel Tower at Night.” Weaver, who has a master’s degree in art therapy from Penn State, instructed the class to feel free to “move about the cabin” to observe others and, most importantly, “just have fun.”

Many of the participants socialized as they grabbed paintbrushes and paper-plate palettes and went to town on their canvasses. Alyssa Iddings, who sat with several friends, explained how she learned of aMuse Uncorked painting classes.

“One of my Facebook friends attended one, and I thought it would be a lot of fun. The four of us have kids in preschool together, and it’s a nice night out with the girls,” she said.

Harrisburg resident and area artist Reina Wooden said she enjoyed the atmosphere of the event. “We’re sitting with others who aren’t artists, listening to feedback and learning from each other. The atmosphere removes the barrier from being critiqued,” she said, adding that the wine, music and food add to the comfortable and casual feel of the classes.

Those who feel they lack artistic talent shouldn’t feel intimidated, said Weaver. “We work under the assumption that the participants have no experience whatsoever, so we break every piece into manageable, teachable parts.”

Paint Break

Leena Shenoy, owner of Passage to India, decided to take time out of her busy evening to participate.

“It’s fun. You don’t have to know how to paint; you just go with the flow and it comes out,” she said.

Manager Avelino Furtado joined her. “It’s very relaxing and gets me away from the hustle and stress,” he said, as he placed the finishing touches on the night sky with a flourish by flicking the brush around to add the colorful “confetti stars.”

The Haniskos continue to add classes as more people learn of the events. Each session features a different painting subject, so many attendees return with additional friends. Past painting projects lined the back of the wall at the restaurant, including a “couple’s painting” featuring fish, that, when placed together, formed a heart. The couple explained that they work with their staff as a team to choose subjects.

“We learn what’s trending in home décor and try to determine what people would like to display in their home,” said Adie.

At the end of the evening, everyone gathered together—with their finished artwork—for a group picture, and not one bad painting was evident.

I might have to venture out of my comfort zone, sign up for classes and break that streak.

For more information on times, classes, paintings and places, visit www.amuseuncorked.com.

Make Art, Not War: Gettysburg Fest gives you another reason to visit the famous Civil War town.

May 30, 2014 | by Missy Smith

Art lovers take note.

Gettysburg may be synonymous with “battlefield,” but, for five days this month, the town will be more about art than armaments. At Gettysburg Fest’s seventh annual event, you can view a vibrant collection of visual art, listen to an eclectic lineup of musical acts, smell and taste culinary works of art, and feel the depth of art-stimulating experiences.

Held at Gettysburg College as well as businesses “on the fringe” of the campus ground, Gettysburg Fest will treat attendees to a wide variety of art events from June 11 to June 15, with more than half of the events free and open to the public.

“[Gettysburg Fest is] a vibrant showcase of the best local, regional and national performing, visual and culinary arts, but in a more action-packed package,” explains Executive Director Randy Prasse. “History and the unique ‘Gettysburg brand’ is something we are respectful of—but the Gettysburg Fest is about contemporary art and culture in Gettysburg. “

When founding Creative Director Karl Held and organizers created the festival seven years ago to showcase American arts and culture, Gettysburg was the natural fit.

“It could have been located anywhere—Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia—but the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Governor’s Awards for the Arts (under former Gov. Ed Rendell) were held in Gettysburg,” explains Prasse. “That was really the springboard for selecting Gettysburg as the home of the new Gettysburg Fest.”

Prasse says that Gettysburg Fest staff members aim to create an exciting and dynamic festival with several initiatives in mind. For local folks, Prasse says that the festival is an accessible and appealing way for people to celebrate their community. A major festival like Gettysburg Fest also drives local economic growth and helps employers participating in the “fringe program” (businesses located beyond festival grounds) to gain and keep customers. Of course, Gettysburg’s history is, in and of itself, a major draw for tourists, so the festival seeks to enhance people’s traveling experiences and local history interests with a rich music and arts experience.

“Our new partnership with Gettysburg College offers a venue—with Civil War battlefield history— that you just cannot top,” explains Prasse. “Two of our three stages are set up on the north and south portico of Pennsylvania Hall.”

Performing against this backdrop are a variety of musical acts, including country music singer Eric Paslay and alt-country indie folk rock band The Lone Bellow.

“We are producing entertainment ranging from traditional brass bands to alternative rock and country; from classical chamber music and comedy to high impact theatrical productions,” says Prasse. “I love not being branded as a set kind of festival. It makes it fun to produce and even more fun to attend.”

Because many attendees requested that the festival host more local musicians, it will feature a “Boys Are Back in Town” evening, featuring local artists who have found success throughout the United States.

With “plein air” style painting all the rage, Gettysburg Fest also will feature local, regional and mid-Atlantic artists painting outdoors on the battlefield and displaying their work in the festival’s Plein Air Show. Artists will also go head-to-head in a “quick draw” competition, in which they must create a painting in under two hours. Other artists will showcase their work in various exhibitions and an art market and bazaar. Art enthusiasts will experience paintings in a variety of styles, as well as photography, sculptures, barn artwork, student art, history portrayed through artwork, colonial demonstrations and more.

“The artists are as varied as the people who will be attending the Fest, so it should be a great dynamic,” says Prasse. “We will also focus on hands-on, fun but educational activities for the entire family—with a number of ‘make and take’ art projects for kids to enjoy after they go home.”

Culinary arts provide a tasty art experience at the festival. Gettysburg Fest will host a Victorian tea, an edible art tour, a pairing of barbecue and blues music, and, new this year, a waiter-waitress obstacle course challenge. On Father’s Day, June 15, stage and screen actor Stephen Lang will perform his one-man show “Beyond Glory,” in which he gives dramatic performances of war veterans’ oral histories.

“Stephen loves Gettysburg and has done so many projects here,” says Prasse. “It will be a very special show.”

Gettysburg is a very moving and exciting place for local people and travelers intrigued and emotionally connected to the history. For Prasse, hosting the festival in such a historic setting is something especially unique about Gettysburg Fest. “That is very humbling for me to produce this exciting, contemporary festival—literally with such an iconic structure as its backdrop.”

Gettysburg Fest takes place June 11 to 15 at Gettysburg College and nearby locations in town. For more information, visit https://gettysburgfestival.org.

Briefcase Full of Fun: Sunshine, a generous pour and the blues at Dauphin County Music and Wine Festival.

May 30, 2014 | by Jess Hayden

The music keeps getting better for Curtis Salgado, a 40-year veteran of the rhythm and blues scene.

This vocalist, songwriter and harmonica icon recently won the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year and Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year awards from the Blues Music Foundation. And if those honors weren’t enough, he also won Soul Blues Album of the Year for his latest CD “Soul Shot.”

“We cover everything that’s under the umbrella of R&B,” Salgado said when asked to describe his band’s repertoire. “About 70 percent of the songs are originals, written by yours truly. The other songs are classic R&B stuff.”

And now, lucky for us, he’s coming to the Harrisburg area. Salgado and his band will be tearing up the stage this month during a headlining spot at the Dauphin County Music and Wine Festival.

As in the past, the festival spans an entire weekend, June 14 to 15. Saturday’s line-up includes Curtis Salgado Band, Dana Fuchs, Lisa Chavous & The Philadelphia Blues Messengers, The Cornlickers, The Humblers, Ben Brandt & Co. and Wake Up Call. Sunday is New Orleans Day and will feature Big Sam’s Funky Nation, The Maxwell Project, The Passionettes, Urban Souls and No Last Call.

That’s just the music portion. Depending on your tastes, the wine and food may be equally important. So, 12 of Pennsylvania’s best wineries will offer free tastings, and a host of craft and food vendors will feed the crowd. Attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair, blanket and a picnic basket.

The Headliner

Salgado has had a long career with many impressive highlights.

He fronted his group, the Nighthawks, was co-star of The Robert Cray Band, and sang with Roomful of Blues. He spent a summer singing with Santana, and he and his band even toured with The Steve Miller Band. He has performed at festivals all over the world, including The Chicago Blues Festival, Memphis’ Beale Street Music Festival, Thailand’s Phuket International Blues Festival and Poland’s Blues Alive Festival.

Salgado also is an authority on all things R&B. His living room is full of old LPs and 78s, as well as CDs and videotapes of blues, jazz, funk, rock ‘n’ roll and soul artists. In concert, his repertoire is peppered with songs by some of his R&B heroes.

“I like to dig up the real obscure stuff that nobody really knows unless they were a collector or something,” he says.

Teacher, Muse

His musical achievements aside, perhaps one of the more defining moments of Salgado’s career was when he had a chance meeting with actor and comedian John Belushi back in 1977. He was playing a gig at the Eugene Hotel in Eugene, Ore., when Belushi, who was in the area filming “National Lampoon’s Animal House,” wandered into the lounge. As the story goes, Belushi became so mesmerized by the then 25-year-old blues player that he insisted on talking to him.

“I didn’t even know who John Belushi was and had never heard of “Saturday Night Live,’” said Salgado, who, at the time, didn’t own a TV and played out so much that he didn’t have time to watch one anyway.

Salgado said that Belushi told him that he liked his music and harmonica playing and had a friend named Dan Aykroyd who also played the harmonica. Salgado remembers thinking, “Oh great, that’s just what the world doesn’t need. Another harmonica player.”

The two really didn’t connect until Belushi happened to mention that he had to fly back to New York to do a filming of “Saturday Night Live” during which Ray Charles would perform. At the mention of his hero’s name, Salgado started regaling Belushi with little known details about Charles’ career.

Belushi, who wanted to learn more about the blues, knew that, in Salgado, he had found a teacher. After that, the pair met regularly to pore over old blues records, many of them collected by Salgado’s parents. They even performed together a few times at the Eugene Hotel before the filming ended and the actor left town. “What I was,” said Salgado, “was John Belushi’s muse.”

Soon after, when Belushi and Aykroyd created the Blues Brothers act, Belushi gave credit for its inspiration to Salgado. He insisted that Salgado’s name be listed in the early articles on The Blues Brothers and dedicated their defining album, “Briefcase Full of Blues,” to him. Salgado, who always played wearing dark shades and a soul patch under his lower lip, was even recognized for influencing The Blues Brothers’ look on stage.

Salgado and his band are coming to the festival thanks to a recommendation by the Blues Society of Central Pennsylvania.

“The Blues Society has a really sweet deal with the Dauphin County Music and Wine Festival,” said Rocky Rothrock, the group’s president. “The county wanted to have a day for blues, and so they approached us for help. We provide a lot of volunteers to help with the festival, and we give them suggestions for the acts to book.”

Indeed, Salgado’s approach to music seems perfect for the festival, which, combining music, wine and food, is all about enjoying oneself on a warm summer day.

“We play blues and soul and R&B and funk and rock ‘n’ roll—we do it all,” he says. “You can call it whatever you want to call it. We just call it a good time.”

The Dauphin County Music and Wine Festival runs June 14 to 15, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Fort Hunter Park, 5300 N. Front Street, Harrisburg. Advance ticket sales are $25, and admission is $30 at the gate. Children age 12 and under are admitted free. Tickets are good for both days and may be purchased at Mr. Mike’s Records, the Dauphin County Parks and Recreation office at Fort Hunter Park and online at www.DauphinCounty.org.

Flag Day, 1914: A century ago, Harrisburg celebrated a unique gift.

May 30, 2014 | by Jason Wilson

This June 14 marks the 100^th anniversary of the transfer of the commonwealth’s Civil War flags to the Capitol’s main rotunda.

It was also the last time the aged veteran bearers carried the colors that they had carried during the Civil War. They had been offered an all-expenses-paid trip to Harrisburg to be honored for their service and to transfer their beloved colors to the cases that had been designed specifically for the flags in 1911.

The flag-bearers met outside the old Library and Museum building well before the 1 p.m. assembly time, and each was handed the furled color that they had carried during the war. Many of the men wept openly upon holding the colors again, and the parade was delayed slightly while they regained their composure.

In the end, the parade began nearly on time at 2 p.m. and followed 4th Street to Market then on to Front and up State Street to the Capitol’s steps with the ceremony beginning at 3:15. As the veterans turned up State Street, the six companies of the National Guard formed an honor guard fringing the sides of the street, which were thronged with masses of people eager to see the veterans and their colors.

The ceremony began with a playing of the song “Pennsylvania,” followed by the invocation and the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Gov. John K. Tener made a short welcome speech, followed by Sen. Martin of the Flag Transfer Commission.

Martin stated that the colors needed no eulogy and that their history was written in the blood of thousands of loyal Pennsylvanians who fought and died to preserve the nation. He further asked that they be preserved for all time as a tribute to fallen heroes and an inspiration of loyalty and patriotism. More music followed, as did a keynote address by Maj. Moses Veale of the 109^th PA. He recounted how truly young the men were who went off to war and assessed the contributions of the entire generation to the strength of the nation. “America” was then sung, and the benediction ended the ceremony.

As the band played a medley of Civil War tunes, the veterans placed their banners one by one in the Capitol’s main rotunda.

All told, 352 flags representing some 340,000 veterans of the commonwealth were carried and commemorated that day. The parade and ceremony were touted as among the most memorable and emotional events in Harrisburg’s history, not just for the participants but for thousands of residents who watched the procession. It was highly photographed and one of the first events to be filmed by the Harrisburg Telegraph and shown in local theaters.

Within several decades, the veterans who bore the colors would be gone, but the flags that they carried remain and were removed from the rotunda and preserved in 1985. They remain as a lasting testament and tangible connection to the valor of Pennsylvania’s Civil War soldiers and one of the largest single collections of Civil War flags in the nation.

Jason Wilson is an historian with the Pennsylvania Capitol Preservation Committee.

Instruments of Peace: At Pine Street Presbyterian, a common bond, a shared hope.

May 30, 2014 | by Paul Barker

On Monday, May 5, a few hours after the Supreme Court ruled to permit prayer at local government meetings, thereby opening another large hole in America’s rather porous wall between church and state, a modest crowd gathered in the pews of Pine Street Presbyterian, in downtown Harrisburg, to chip away at the barriers between church and church.

The occasion was the 6^th Annual Commonwealth Interfaith Prayer Service, an event that celebrates, as a promotional flyer put it, the “rich diversity of faith traditions in Pennsylvania.” Among the participants, in addition to the home-team Presbyterians, were representatives of the Jewish, Muslim and Hindu faiths, a Roman Catholic, an Old Catholic, a Methodist, a Quaker, a Unitarian, a Mormon, a Baptist, two members of the Spiritual Assembly of Baha’is of Harrisburg and a Buddhist priest from the Blue Mountain Lotus Society.

Pine Street’s nave was hung with white felt banners—“VICTORY OVER DEATH,” “HE IS RISEN.” As people filed in, Scott Siciliano, with the Colonial Park United Church of Christ, played hymns like “For the Beauty of the Earth” on a wooden harp. Dr. Russell Sullivan, Pine Street’s pastor, offered a word of welcome, beginning with the announcement of an offering for Downtown Daily Bread and a warning about parking. “And now it is a pleasure to introduce to you two public servants who are committed to interfaith dialogue,” he said. Eric Papenfuse, mayor of Harrisburg, and George Hartwick III, Dauphin County commissioner, took their positions at the lecterns flanking the altar.

Papenfuse spoke first, saying he was “particularly moved” by the night’s theme, “Prayers for Justice and Peace.” “Pray that we seek to inspire a new atmosphere of civility in our communities and that we commit to treat each other with love and respect,” he urged. (At a City Council meeting the next night, as if to demonstrate this petition’s urgency, one of the mayor’s senior officials engaged in a public spat with the council president, while Papenfuse shook his head in a seat nearby.) He requested prayers for peaceful streets and for justice “that provides comfort for those who have suffered,” building to a characteristically ambitious conclusion: “May our united prayers bless our city, envelop our people and ignite a spiritual renaissance to make our capital a model of hope for the entire nation.”

Hartwick, who had been chatting genially with a constituent in the pews up until the service began, said the event showed “how through example we can start to rally around the fundamental principles which underlie each of our religions.” He quoted Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Darkness does not drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.” Then, after a pocketful of “whereas” clauses, he proclaimed the day—“May 5, Cinco de Mayo”—as the “6^th Annual Prayers for Justice and Peace Day in Dauphin County.”

The public servants dismounted and headed for the pews. Rabbi Carl Choper, the president of the Interfaith Alliance of Pennsylvania, spoke about “how wondrous” it was that the prayer service was “here at all.” “Many people might take our ability to gather here like this in one room very much for granted,” he said. He recalled learning in elementary school about the 1649 Maryland Act of Religious Toleration. “Only as an adult,” he said, “did I learn that what was presented to us students as an ‘act of toleration’ called in its first article for toleration of anyone who accepted the Trinity, and the death penalty for everyone else.”

The final word of welcome came from the Rev. Sandra Strauss, one of the event’s organizers and its media contact. Strauss is the director of public advocacy for the Pennsylvania Council of Churches, one of the interfaith service’s founding sponsors. A perusal of the links on the council’s public advocacy website, under the heading TAKE ACTION!, gives a sense of its concerns—the gas and oil industries, women’s rights, education, torture and especially poverty. “The purpose is not really to lobby,” she said later. “It’s to get people to take action based on their faith.”

“It seems like only yesterday when a small group of intrepid folks passionate about interfaith relationships gathered around a table…to attempt to pull off an ambitious interfaith service around the theme of justice and peace,” she said from the lectern. The first event, though a success, “only scratched the surface of the richness that exists in our many traditions.” In subsequent years, the group sought additional sponsors and yet more diverse prayer traditions. “And so, here we are again,” Strauss concluded. “A tapestry woven together by our common bond of humanity and the shared hope for a better world.”

“Amen,” said a few folks in the pews. Then, quite suddenly, from the back of the church, came a series of low, twanging strikes on a drum. People turned to see a barefoot man in a white robe processing up the aisle, a stole draped over his shoulders bearing images of dragonflies. This was the Oshō Geoffrey Dunaway, of the Blue Mountain Lotus Society, which follows in the tradition of socially engaged Buddhism. He approached a small shrine on the altar, chanting, and then conducted a short ceremony to, as he explained later, “open the altar space.” He sprinkled water from a pine sprig in each of the cardinal directions, then lit incense and rang a bell, while a photographer who had accessed a loft space took photos from above.

Following the procession was a series of invocations from the Abrahamic faiths: a Jewish call to worship, blown on a shofar, an instrument traditionally made from the horn of a ram; a Christian call to worship; and an Islamic call to prayer. Ahmad Bhatti, of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community on Division Street, gave the latter from the lectern, hands cupped around his ears, palms outward, singing in a faintly nasal meandering melody.

Then came a sequence of prayers, songs, narrations and group responses that bore witness to the remarkable variety of the service’s more than 30 co-sponsors. A choir from the Metropolitan Community Church, on Jefferson Street near Italian Lake, sang a version of the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.” Ashok Shukla, of the Hindu American Religious Institute, delivered a mantra: “May there be peace, peace, perfect peace.” The Market Square Ringers, a bell choir from Market Square Presbyterian, played a lovely song called “Celebration and Grace,” brass bells flashing in their black gloves. Penbrook United Church of Christ’s Rebecca Boone, constrained to a chair by a sprained ankle, offered a waist-up liturgical dance to James Taylor’s “Hard Times Come Again No More.” (Before this, there was even a nod to Nietzsche, who wrote he would “believe only in a God that knows how to dance”—or, at least, who wrote that so spake Zarathustra.)

Dave Johnston, of the Harrisburg Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, which convenes each Sunday in a meetinghouse at the corner of N. 6^th and Herr, provided a meditation on what you might call supplication by subtraction. “We sit in silence,” Johnston said of Quaker prayer, “and if we’re moved to speak, we speak.” He asked the assembled to pause with him for a few moments’ silence, during which all the mostly missed noises came suddenly in range of hearing: the roar of one’s own thoughts, the pew-wood clicking.

At the end of the service, after a warm benediction by the Rev. Dr. James Jackson of Goodwin Memorial Baptist on Green Street, Rabbi Eric Cytryn of Uptown’s Beth El Temple strummed a guitar and sang “Oseh Shalom.” The prayerful dispersed from the pews, some to heed Sullivan’s warning about the garages, others for refreshments at a reception behind the sanctuary. This was the best part of the event, Strauss said later: “It’s seeing all of these people from different faith traditions, different color, different dress, talking after the service.”

“Every time we pray, our horizon is altered,” the Most Rev. Michael Scalzi of the mid-Atlantic diocese of the Old Catholic Church narrated at one point in the service. He was quoting the Scottish evangelist Oswald Chambers on the virtues of prayer, but he may as well have been extolling the virtues of a diverse society. “Our attitude to things is altered, not sometimes but every time. And the amazing thing is that we don’t pray more.”

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