Can of Corn

October 1, 2013 | by Paul Barker

Late Monday afternoon, while Washington’s spending bill languished in the Republican House and the federal government drifted towards shutdown, Tim Solobay, Democrat of the Pennsylvania Senate, was in right field in the City Island stadium, doing side lunges.

He was wearing an orange Team West jersey that sorted him by chamber and district number (SOLOBAY, S-46), along with white crew socks and black-and-white Adidas trainers that looked to have been preserved intact from the 1980s.

The first-ever Capitol All-Stars softball game was slated to start at 5:30. It was 4:15.

“I got here at 4 o’clock,” Solobay said. “I was going to go to the batting cages, but they were closed.”

The game would mix members of both parties in the House and Senate in a seven-inning match in Metro Bank Park. Lynn Deary, president of Pennsylvania Legislative Services, was inspired by the Congressional Softball League, which has been organizing casual games in D.C. since 1971. Deary had partnered with the Pennsylvania Cable Network to organize the event, with proceeds benefitting Feeding Pennsylvania and Hunger-Free Pennsylvania, the state’s two largest nonprofits for hunger relief.

Mike Stack (Democrat, S-5) walked over, wearing a backwards ball cap and track pants. Stack, who serves Philadelphia, had been assigned to Team West to help keep a balanced roster. “Those guys, they look like they got their shit together,” he said. He was referring to Team East.

The senators started lobbing a softball. Mike Brubaker (Republican, S-36) approached, his jersey tucked into his blue jeans. “You guys are lookin’ good,” he said. While Solobay rolled grounders, the speakers boomed the Bangles. “Walk like—an Egyp-shun.”

In the Team West dugout, technicians for PCN set up for the broadcast. A communications triumvirate—Bob Caton, spokesman for the House Democrats, Steve Miskin, spokesman for the House Republicans, and Erik Arneson, the communications and policy director for Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi—would be calling the game on live TV.

“They are three really funny people,” Corinna Wilson, PCN’s vice president of programming, had said before the game. She estimated that grouping them for the broadcast would make for lively commentary. She was correct. Late in the game, when Jim Christiana (Republican, H-15) snagged a Pileggi fly ball, Arneson remarked that it was “unfortunately the end of a promising legislative career.”

Rob Teplitz (Democrat, S-15) emerged from the locker room, his jersey tucked into knee-length khaki shorts, his phone clipped to his belt. Paul Simon’s “Call Me Al” had overtaken the stadium air. “A man walks down the street, he says, why am I soft in the middle now…”

Lawmakers and cameras begin to fill the field, in about equal proportion. The event was about hunger, of course, but it was also about the legislators. Brubaker, the co-chair of the Legislative Hunger Caucus—“He feels personally responsible that no person goes hungry in the state of Pennsylvania,” Wilson said—posed with a bat for Fox News. “This is a really exciting day for me,” he said to the lens.

Farther off, in the nearly empty stands above the Team East dugout, a group of suits waved down Christiana, who had entered the ballpark with Tommy Sankey (Republican, H-74). They wanted to talk anesthesiology. Were they lobbying? There wasn’t time to find out. “One of us has gotta be loose. We’re the dynamic duo,” Sankey said. He dashed down the staircase towards the locker rooms.

After group photos, the teams lined up on the baselines. The First Lady, Susan Corbett, said a few words. “We really love you for being here,” she said. “Good luck to all the team members. We’ll see you coming to work tomorrow—” She did a brief pantomime of a sore, stiff lawmaker. Then she headed for the stands behind home plate, where she sat a few seats in front of her security detail.

Eddie Pashinski (Democrat, H-121) took the mound for the national anthem. The crowd fell reverentially quiet for the color guard, and then Pashinski, unamplified, gestured for a mike. “Anybody can do it with a microphone,” said Larry Farnese (Democrat, S-1). As Pashinski crooned, the crowd murmured with him, their voices small and predominantly soprano.

“And the hoooome—of the—braaaave,” Pashinski sang. A pair of helicopters screamed directly over the stadium, flying north. It was so well timed, more than one spectator observed, it could not possibly have been planned by the legislature.

The first inning’s fielding was rocky. The softball, plump and white, moved slowly, but so did the lawmakers. In the second at-bat, Lisa Boscola (Democrat, S-18) chopped one over Solobay’s head. Jake Wheatley (Democrat, H-19) recovered it, but overthrew to first base, and Boscola advanced. On the next hit, Solobay stopped the ball short but, in the process, tumbled forward and rolled onto his back.

Later, the 10-year-old daughter of Sheryl Delozier (Republican, H-88) helped to explain the abundance of errors. The lawmakers hadn’t had time to practice. “They were late out of caucus,” she said.

Team East fared no better. In the first inning, a double error along the third baseline gave up a run. In the second, John Yudichak (Democrat, S-14) fell to a questionable third-strike call. (“No way,” Brubaker keened from the sidelines. “Nooo way.”) Daylin Leach (Democrat, S-17), who had spent the entire inning on deck, test-swinging two bats, also failed to deliver. “Daylin, you’re due,” Farnese said. “You’re due.” Leach popped an infield fly for an easy out.

On an upper level, behind the glass wall of the press box, John Baer and Carmen Finestra announced the game over the stadium loudspeakers. Baer, a veteran political reporter with the Philadelphia Daily News, is known for his caustic take on the statehouse. (His blog is titled “Baer Growls.”) He and Finestra, a writer and producer for the ‘90s sitcom “Home Improvement,” have been friends since childhood. They peppered their game-calling with good-natured jabs. (“Due to the pending bill to reduce the size of the state legislature, it has been decided that any representative that does not get a hit tonight will have their seat eliminated.”)

Behind home plate—just about everyone was behind home plate—sat Lori Hoffmaster, the executive director of Channels Food Rescue, a hunger-relief nonprofit on N. 6^th Street, in Uptown Harrisburg. Channels, Hoffmaster explained, is “kind of non-traditional.” Rather than store food in a warehouse, they collect food nearing or at expiration and deliver it on the same day. They also run a culinary school for “people who need a second chance,” which Hoffmaster described as the “largest commercial kitchen on the eastern seaboard.”

By the bottom of the fourth, Team East was trailing, 8-1. Errors had persisted, particularly around first base. “It makes me not feel so bad about when I played softball,” Hoffmaster said. Did Channels have a favorite? “We’re Central PA, so we’re rooting for everyone,” said Megan Coble, Channels’ development coordinator.

By the sixth, the Team West dugout, drunk on their lead and, perhaps, on the beer donated by Dick Yuengling, had started chanting. As Jerry Stern (Republican, H-80), the tourism chair, stepped up, Jeff Pyle (Republican, H-60) gave a yeasty rendition of the “Charge!” organ theme: “Na na na nah, na nahhh! Chair!”

Christiana, who had come wearing eye black, spit sunflower seeds into the dirt.

It came time for Team West’s captain, Speaker of the House Sam Smith (Republican, H-66), to slug. “Sam bats right, throws right and votes right,” Baer observed. Smith’s roster stuck out of the back pocket of his jeans. He had not come to run. “Patience, patience,” Christiana advised. Smith tapped the ball into the pitcher’s glove, tipped his hat to the crowd, took the roster out of his pocket and starting calling out positions for the seventh.

“Sam, was that a bunt or what?” someone in the crowd called.

Smith smiled, hands on his hips. “I’ve been busy.”

The game concluded in the seventh, after a diving catch from Christiana (“That was a trap!” someone in the crowd yelled. “Booo!”) and a last, uneventful at-bat from Team East. Greg Vitali (Democrat, H-166) ended the game on deck, his jersey tails dangling, as they had all game, past the ends of his rather suggestively cut shorts. “Someone tell Vitali to put some pants on,” Pyle said. It was the last comment this reporter heard before the final out.

On the field after the game, Deary handed out monogrammed bats to the team captains and the Hunger Caucus co-chairs. “Most importantly, we raised funds for the folks who need our help,” said Jay Costa (Democrat, S-43). Deary thanked everyone again and turned off the mike. “You don’t have to go home, but you have to get off my grass,” barked one of the stadium managers.

“Not having food is such a basic—I can’t imagine, you know?” Deary said later. “I never realized, thinking about how really important it is, to not have food for your family.” The event had raised more than $50,000 before it even started, mainly through corporate sponsorships, and a preliminary estimate was that the raffle, food and ticket sales at the game had raised another $10,000. “This’ll buy a lot of food, hopefully!” Deary said.

Is it bad sportsmanship to point out that the final tally is short of the nearly $7 million shortfall in the state’s food purchase program, which the legislature has consistently trimmed? In a press release this past July, Hunger-Free Pennsylvania noted that if funding “simply kept pace with food prices, the program would need $23.8 million to break even.” The 2013-2014 budget allocates $17.4 million—an increase of $100,000 over the previous year’s total, and the first boost to the fund since 2006.

At any rate, Deary, by gathering the lawmakers for a ballgame, may have found a way to circumvent partisan congestion.

Caryn Long, the executive director of Feeding Pennsylvania, said that she had spoken with one of the players on Team East. “He was saying that, you know, he’s a freshman member, and there’s so many things that are dinners, but everything is also partisan, too. And he said this is the first event that he’s gotten to take part in that was not only fun but a bipartisan event.”

Deary agreed. “One of the sponsors, and I won’t mention which one of them, said, ‘We are willing to donate some amount of money if you will have a Capitol March Madness. And I thought, ‘That’s kind of clever!’ I don’t think I could handle it til next year, but it is a good idea. Wouldn’t it be fun to do a Capitol March Madness?”

Seen at the Scholar: Read This–An overview of what is being read by the staff of Midtown Scholar Bookstore.

September 30, 2013 | by Aubrey Bourgeois

Mr Phillips

by John Lanchester
291pp—Marian Wood

Good for fans of: biographical fiction, James Thurber, signed editions

Why: A coming of age novel done in reverse, John Lanchester’s Mr Phillips examines a life unraveled. When he is unexpectedly dismissed from his job, Mr Phillips finds even his own reflection unidentifiable. Without the strength to even admit this truth to his wife, he dresses each morning and wanders the streets surrounding their London home. In a portrait similar to “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber, Lanchester paints a man looking to escape reality. Splattered with memories from the man’s past, rather than daydreams like Thurber’s subject, the reader is given a truthful look at the story’s protagonist. Though this is a work of fiction, it reads more similarly to a memoir. With two copies of this hardcover on the shelves, one signed by the author, customers are welcome to take this modern day wandering “everyman” home with them.

Memoirs of a Geisha

by Arthur Golden
428pp—Knopf

Good for fans of: Japanese culture, the film, narrative fiction

Why: For fans of the movie, the story of Chiyo Sakamoto is well known, but, as with many page-to-screen adaptations, there is more to the story than the eye has seen. This novel draws the reader into a world known to be historically secret. Set up as though it were a true memoir, it is easy to forget that this is a work of fiction. The intricately woven plot and characters pull you in while still, in their delicate Geisha way, leaving something to be imagined. This is more than a coming-of-age story, more than a romance or historical piece. What readers find when they open the cover relates more closely to a story told while sitting at an elderly grandmother’s feet. This book will open your mind and heart to a woman you won’t believe doesn’t actually exist.

A Single Shard

by Linda Sue Park
148 pp—Yearling

Good for fans of: young adult novels, Newberry award winners, kids on summer break

Why: In the summer months, it can be quite difficult to get children to open a book, but this quick read might just be the answer. Set in 12^th-century Korea, this Newberry winner still resonates with American children in the 21^st century. A tale of hard work, dedication and the importance of family stretches time and place to reach into the home of every reader. When he accidentally breaks a potter’s wares, young Tree-ear tries everything he can to remedy the incident. With an interesting turn at the end that exemplifies kindness and the human need for companionship, this book is a welcome addition to any middle school library.

The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World

by Michael Pollan
271pp—Random House Trade Paperbacks

Good for fans of: botany, creative-nonfiction, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”

Why: Best-selling author Michael Pollan brings another fine dish to the table. Taking a close look at four plants that humans have chosen to carefully cultivate, he asks if, maybe, those plants are adapting for us. Taking into consideration the human inclination toward things that are sweet, beautiful, intoxicating or easily controlled, the book is broken up into the four plants that exhibit these characteristics: apples, tulips, marijuana and potatoes, respectively. Taking a look at these plants carefully, we see that the ways that humans have used or changed them for our own gain. But with the plants gaining so much as well, the question remains: Which of us is domesticating the other?

City Contented, City Discontented

by Paul Beers
404pp—Midtown Scholar Press

Good for fans of: Harrisburg history, urban planning, newspapers

Lastly, with Election Day right around the corner, make sure to brush up on the history of Harrisburg with Midtown Scholar Press’s own “City Contented, City Discontented: A History of Modern Harrisburg.” The collected columns of Paul Beers, the late Patriot-News columnist, give good backdrop to the issues facing our city today. Edited and transcribed by Penn State Harrisburg history professor Michael Barton, this book documents both the good times and the bad that have affected our city for the last century.

Community Corner: Notable Events for October

September 30, 2013 | by Admin

Harrisburg Mayoral Debate

Oct. 3: Join community group Harrisburg Hope as it hosts a forum and debate among candidates running for city mayor. The event begins at 6 p.m. at the Cooper Student Center on HACC’s main campus in Harrisburg. More information is at www.harrisburghope.com.

2013 Expo and Design Awards

Oct. 3: This year, the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, alongside Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, will host the annual day-long conference and expo on the HU campus. The event will include vendor exhibitions, a social hour, speakers, education sessions and the design awards presentation. For information, visit www.aiacentralpa.org.

Benefit for the PA Hallowed Ground Project

Oct. 3: Visit Midtown Scholar Bookstore as the Spiritual Messengers play authentic gospel music to support the work of PA Hallowed Ground, a project to conserve, interpret and honor burial sites of Pennsylvania’s United States Colored Troops (USCT). The benefit will begin at 7:30 p.m. Sponsorships are available at the $25, $50 and $100 levels.

Blue & Gray Gala

Oct. 3: A food and beverage journey through the states will be the theme at this year’s National Civil War Museum’s Blue & Gray Gala. Throughout the museum galleries, there will be featured a food based on a state theme. The event begins at 6 p.m. and tickets are $75 per person including all food and beverage. Visit www.nationalcivilwarmuseum.org.

Appalachian Audubon Birdseed and Feeder Sale

Oct. 4-5: Support the wild birds in your neighborhood through participating in the Appalachian Audubon Society’s birdseed and feeder sale located at the Camp Hill Shopping Center. Sales will be held Oct. 4, 3 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Proceeds will support the society’s education and conservation programs. For more information, visit www.appalachianaudubon.org

20^th Annual Wildlife Art Auction Exhibit

Oct. 5: Art connoisseurs are welcome to gather at the Ned Smith Center in Millersburg for a chance to own original artwork by some of Pennsylvania’s great artists. The catalog of work is currently available online, and the auction will be held Oct. 5. For more information and the auction catalog visit www.nedsmithcenter.org.

Cornwall Manor Society Fall Festival

Oct. 5: Pancake breakfast, crafts, ice cream sundaes, silent auction and fall mums are only a few of the attractions at the Cornwall Manor’s Fall Festival in Cornwall. There will also be pumpkin picking and scarecrow making, good food and walking tours. The festivities kick off at 8 a.m. and will conclude at 1 p.m. All proceeds benefit the programs of the Cornwall Manor Society. Visit www.cornwallmanor.org.

Fight for Air Walk

Oct. 5: Walk with the American Lung Association in the annual Fight for Air Walk. The walk will begin at John Rudy Park in York. The event will also include various activities and a picnic. Participants are encouraged to raise at least $100 to support the association’s advocacy and research programs. For more information, visit www.lunginfo.org/yorkwalk.

Cupcake Cup

Oct. 6: The Harrisburg Cupcake Cup is back for a fifth year with some of the area’s most delicious small confections baked by both amateurs and professionals. The event, which benefits the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, begins at 2 p.m. at the Abbey Bar inside Appalachian Brewing Co., 50 N. Cameron St., Harrisburg. Cost of admission is a $3 donation or three non-perishable food items. Learn more at www.cupcakecup.org.

Organ Concert

Oct. 6: World-renowned Italian organist Elena Sartori will perform a free concert at Market Square Presbyterian Church, starting at 4 p.m. The program will include works by Bach, Alain, Franck and Mendelssohn. The church is located at 20 S. 2^nd St., Harrisburg, with free parking in the Market Square Parking Garage adjacent to the church. Information is at www.marketsquarechurch.org.

Pennsylvania Indian Festival

Oct. 6: Get outside for a hands-on day of learning at the Centennial Barn in Fort Hunter Park. Explore the different ways Native Americans hunted and lived. Play their musical instruments, see their tools and create beadwork. The festival will run from noon to 4 p.m. $5 per person, $3 for children (5 and under are free). For more information, visit www.forthunter.org.

Downtown Daily Bread 30^th Anniversary

Oct. 6: Starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Hilton Harrisburg, Downtown Daily Bread, a community organization providing support and meals for those in need, will celebrate its 30^th anniversary. The evening will feature a special dinner with various guest speakers, a cash bar, silent action and entertainment. Entry is $130 per person. For more information, go to www.downtowndailybread.org.

Historic Railroad Lecture

Oct. 8: The Harrisburg chapter of the National Railway Historical Society will host a lecture by Larry Eastwood, a prominent figure in NRHS, at Hoss’s restaurant in Enola. The lecture will cover the railroad operation from Wilkes-Barre to Montreal spanning 1967 to 1990. The meeting and lecture will begin at 5 p.m. and is open to the public.

Power of the Purse

Oct. 9: Join the Foundation for Enhancing Communities as it celebrates women’s role in philanthropy. The event will be held at the Blue Ridge Country Club in Harrisburg from 5 to 7 p.m. The evening will also include a silent auction, refreshments and purses for sale. The entrance fee is $50 per person with most proceeds supporting an endowment fund for women and families in our area. Information is at www.tfec.org.

2013 Eastern Division National Fall Meet in Hershey

Oct. 9-12: Come see the largest flea market of its kind at the Antique Automobile Club of America in Hershey as over 1,000 show cars will be on display alongside an abundance of other activities. The market will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. during scheduled days and all are admitted for free. For more information and listings of events, visit www.aacamuseum.org.

Unchained Fashion Show

Oct. 10: Unchained will present a fashion show to help fight female human trafficking throughout the world. The designs of Korto Momolu of “Project Runway” will be featured. Admission is $20 ($10 for students) with proceeds going to Not in My Backyard, an anti-trafficking organization. The event starts at 7 p.m. at the Life Center, 411 S. 40^th St., Harrisburg. Visit www.unchainedfashionshow.com.

Family Fun Day

Oct 12: The Ned Smith Center will hold its annual Family Fun Day, designed to increase awareness of the natural world with various activities for children and families. Activities include live animal presentations, face painting and a pumpkin patch. Admission is $5 for ages 2 or older or a Family Four Pack for $15. For tickets and more information, visit www.nedsmithcenter.org.

Andrew Linker Lecture

Oct. 13: Listen in as Andrew Linker, author of “One Patch of Grass,” speaks about the history of baseball on City Island at the John Harris-Simon Cameron Mansion, 2:30 p.m. Linker is an award-winning writer who has spent more than 30 years covering sports. Linker also will sign books. Visit www.dauphincountyhistory.org.

CPGLCC Business Networking Mixer

Oct. 17: Bring your business cards and professional attire to the Central Pennsylvania Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Business Mixer at Alder Health in Lancaster. The mixer will begin at 6 p.m. and conclude at 8 p.m. Registration is $10. For more information and registration, visit www.cpglcc.org.

Mille for MS Charity Road Rally

Oct. 18-19: Drivers wanted! The Mille for MS returns this year, allowing car enthusiasts to live out their automotive fantasy, with a local appearance by the Porsche Driving School. The weekend event is open to all drivers and cars from past to present. On Friday evening, there will be a reception, silent auction and display of participating cars, followed by a daylong course of driving on Saturday. Last year’s event exceeded expectation by raising $25,000 for the Central PA MS Society. For more information, visit www.milleforMS.com.

Taste of Tango

Oct. 19: Penn State Hershey Dermatology will host “Taste of Tango” beginning at 7 p.m. at the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum in Hershey. Guests are invited to explore the collection of antique cars, feast on a selection of chocolate desserts and dance the night away. Tickets cost $60 per person and can be reserved by calling 717-531-6049. Proceeds benefit the education and research endowment funds for Penn State Hershey Dermatology.

Pride of the Susquehanna 25^th Anniversary Gala

Oct. 23: Take a cruise on Susquehanna’s one and only riverboat to celebrate 25 years of paddling. The evening will begin at 5:30 p.m. and conclude at 9 p.m. Enjoy food, music, a silent auction and the beautiful scenery of the Susquehanna River. Cost is $50 per person. For more information, visit harrisburgriverboat.com.

Dress for Success “Bella Notte”

Oct. 25: Join the nonprofit that has helped more than 7,000 low-income women with career training and professional attire, Dress for Success South Central PA, as it celebrates its seventh annual fundraising gala, “Bella Notte,” at the Harrisburg Hilton Hotel Grand Ballroom, 5:30 to 11 p.m. The event will include silent and live auctions, dinner, live music and casino games. Reservations of $100 can be made at www.dressforsuccess.org/southcentralpa.

Trunk or Treat

Oct. 26: The Antique Automobile Museum of America invites you for Halloween fun. The museum will offer a special $5 admission for all from noon to 3 p.m. Halloween-themed activities will be held across the museum, including craft tables and candy hunts, alongside classic automobiles. For more information, visit www.aacamuseum.org.

Oratorio, Sacred & Old Time Gospel

Oct. 27: Capitol Opera Harrisburg and The Music Ministry of Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church present this one-time-only concert of sacred favorites. The concert will be held at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church beginning at 3 p.m. Donations will be accepted at the door.

Essence of Joy

Oct. 27: State Street Academy of Music will kick off its 9^th annual Sundays on the Street Concert Season with “Essence of Joy” this month at St. Lawrence Chapel. The choral ensemble will consist of the Penn State University School of Music. Donations of $10 per person are encouraged and all proceeds go to benefit the Academy, located at 110 State St., Harrisburg. The concert will begin at 4 p.m.

Sovereign Creatures: Harrisburg Strong arose from state government wielding its power, finally, in a responsible way.

September 30, 2013 | by Paul Barker

The most memorable lecture of my college years came at the end of a semester of medieval history. The professor, a birdlike German who wore thin scarves, drew a graph on the dry-erase board that charted two lines. One hobbled along, then spiked dramatically. The other, initially steady, dropped off where the first one climbed.

The downward line represented the incidence of plague. The professor wouldn’t tell us what the upward line was. After a half-hour or so of politely listening to wrong guesses (medicine? hygiene?), he told us that the line represented government, as measured by quantity of paperwork. He then offered a theory: that the best explanation for the end of plague was the appearance of the power to enforce quarantine, vested in an increasingly centralized state.

When history looks back on Harrisburg, what will it see? On Sept. 19, Judge Bonnie Brigance Leadbetter of the Commonwealth Court confirmed the Harrisburg Strong Plan, the state-appointed receiver’s long-awaited roadmap for the city’s financial recovery. During testimony, the receiver, William B. Lynch, said he was eager to see control of Harrisburg returned to its elected officials. One reason he opposed bankruptcy, he said, is that it prolongs the period of “someone else overseeing” the city’s governance. This emphasis on local sovereignty belies what the plan, and the process that produced it, represent: the state’s power to force an ailing city back to health.

In March 2012, shortly before his resignation, David Unkovic, the city’s first receiver, spoke at an impromptu press conference about “corruption” in Harrisburg: “in the sense of a body being corrupted, deteriorated, just a bad situation.” With regard to Harrisburg’s corrupted bodies—its insurmountable incinerator debt, its millions in unpayable obligations, its ritual abuse of its municipal authorities and its waterlogged credit rating—the Strong Plan is an act of quarantine.

Take the receiver’s plan for the incinerator. The facility, at least in theory, is a revenue-producing asset, generating proceeds by charging clients to dump trash and, to a lesser extent, by selling the electricity generated by burning it. What corrupts it is its spectacular debt, approaching $350 million. The city guaranteed that debt when it was issued, and the debt service obligations have become the city’s. As the plan puts it, the incinerator “is a liability of the City, not an asset.” A key provision of the plan is to sell it to the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority for around $130 million.

A similar act of separation is proposed for the city’s parking: its lots, garages and on-street meters. The plan transfers the assets to an outside partnership that will sign a long-term lease with the city for a term of 40 years. The lease is controversial, but there’s a case to be made that it severs another of the city’s damaged organs. Parking revenues have declined almost every year, from a high in the several millions of dollars to around $250,000 in 2012. The drop is partly a result of increased maintenance and partly a result of complicated debts funneled through the Harrisburg Parking Authority. (A decline in annual parking tax revenues, from $3.3 million to $1.9 million, is the result of further debt service obligations.)

An upfront sum from the parking lease will eliminate the authority’s debt, around $100 million, as well as the remainder of the incinerator debt. In addition, the transaction includes several projected revenues. It restores the income from parking taxes to $3.3 million, and pledges two fixed payments—rent and an annual fee—that should start around $2 million the first year and increase thereafter. Some have argued that the long-term lease surrenders a key asset of the city. But it also repairs a system that, like so many of the city’s operations, had become inefficient and riddled with debt.

The plan also isolates the Harrisburg Authority from the reach of political opportunism. In recent years, the authority had morphed into a financing arm of the former mayor, issuing debt it could never repay and siphoning off cash to professional advisors and to a secret “special projects” fund. The Strong Plan makes short work of these back channels. Under the proposal, the authority will be whittled down to water and sewer operations. The authority will also assume relevant employees from the city into its payroll.

As the plan describes it, the disentanglement of the city and the authority is an act of mutual protection. The sewer system has fallen out of compliance with environmental regulations, and the impending updates are projected to cost upwards of $50 million. The transfer “relieves the City from this burden and assures that the City can focus on the important process of fiscal recovery and the provision of core and essential services.”

But the new structure will also “provide comfort” to several parties—suburban customers, government regulators and lending agencies—that can rest assured that the authority’s rates and borrowings are not connected to the city’s politics or financial liabilities. Part of the plan includes a $26 million loan to the authority from a state infrastructure program, approval of which was conditioned on the operations transfer. You might say that, confronted with patients who were making each other sicker, the receiver forced them into separate wards.

***

At the September court hearing, Lynch emphasized cooperation. “I think that cooperation is what distinguishes Harrisburg from many other cities that fit the distressed category,” he said. His “guiding principle,” he testified, was to “start focusing on the positive” and to “point groups in a direction where they could see what was in it for them.”

It may be true that Lynch achieved cooperation where before there was animosity. But this is a bit like the father at a shotgun wedding saying that what brought the couple to the altar was an agreement to get along. It neglects to mention the important role of the gun.

Consider the court decision, nearly two years ago, that dismissed City Council’s application for bankruptcy. In July 2011, council members voted down a state-sponsored recovery plan that resembled, in broad outline, what they would later get under Harrisburg Strong. It recommended the sale of the incinerator, the sale or lease of the city’s parking assets, the reorganization of government functions and the reworking of union contracts. Like the Strong Plan, it did not include a commuter tax or a county sales tax. Council rejected it by a 4-3 vote.

While the mayor and council scuffled over the next step, the state maneuvered to bring the city under control. (This was an ironic development considering the state, through both negligence and collaboration, assisted the Reed administration in letting the city’s finances run amok). In June 2011, Jeffrey Piccola, the Republican senator for Dauphin County, introduced a bill to force the recovery plan’s implementation by way of a state-appointed “management board.” The House, meanwhile, amended the fiscal code, adding a provision that barred distressed cities of the third class (which is to say, Harrisburg) from filing for municipal bankruptcy.

When council filed for bankruptcy anyway, in October, it presented the court with a question of sovereignty. In her discussion of the case, the federal bankruptcy judge, Mary D. France, acknowledged “important concerns of federalism and respect for the power of states to manage their internal affairs.”

The commonwealth brief was more candid. Under the heading “Petitioner is a creature of the Commonwealth,” it surveyed a number of past opinions establishing state sovereignty:

Municipalities are “merely…creature[s] of the sovereign”… “They have no vested rights in their offices, their charters, their corporate powers, or even their corporate existence.” ….They are “fully subject to the control of the legislature, who may enlarge or diminish…[their] functions…or destroy [their] very existence.”

France concurred, and threw out the city’s petition. In the meantime, Piccola’s bill had been amended to replace his “management board” with the novel concept of a “receiver.” In December 2011, with the appointment of David Unkovic, the city entered receivership.

Last month, when City Council next faced a recovery plan vote, members nearly unanimously approved its provisions. (The lone dissent, on bills approving the incinerator sale and removing the residency requirement for city workers, was Sandra Reid.) They seemed to appreciate that the receiver had wrought solutions they couldn’t have achieved alone. Neil Grover, City Council’s attorney, noted in court that the receiver’s team “provided leverage to negotiate with powerful entities” when the city had “no money and no power.” Their efforts, he said, “got us to a place with very real benefits that would likely never be revealed again.”

But council’s willing approval also conceals a paradox. The power of the state to achieve “cooperation” is the same power that locked the city into receivership. Under the terms of Harrisburg Strong, the city will be free of its strangling debt and poised, at last, for recovery. It arrived here by tapping the state’s capacity to intervene. But was there ever an option not to?

At Home, At Last: Forced out of their country, a group of Nepali Bhutanese has found refuge in Harrisburg.

September 29, 2013 | by Andrew Dyrli Hermeling

Like many cities, Harrisburg’s population is dynamic and diverse.

People of various ethnicities and nationalities continue to add intricacy to the cultural tapestry of Pennsylvania’s capital. But for one group of recent immigrants, ethnically Nepali Bhutanese refugees, Harrisburg represents much more than better economic prospects. These people have come to our small city in search of something that has eluded them for more than 20 years—a home.

Coming to America

For the sake of context, I connected with Laura Beltle, the assistant director of programs at Church World Services in Lancaster, to get a better sense of the political situation that created this refugee crisis. Beltle works to place refugees from various locations across the globe, including many from the camps housing the expelled Bhutanese.

She first made sure to explain what distinguished refugees from other immigrants.

“Refugees are people who have been forced out of their country of origin because they faced persecution or fear of persecution due to one of five reasons: race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a specific social group,” says Beltle.

One such refugee, Dhan Saru, lives on Allison Hill. After I knocked on the door to his apartment, he invited me into his living room and introduced me to his wife Meena and his daughters, Anjana and Monita. As I sat on his couch, he began to tell me his story.

Dhan was born in Bhutan. For three generations, his people had lived peacefully in the south of the country. However, in the 1980s, the King of Bhutan and the Bhutanese ethnic majority, the Druk, began to grow concerned about the growing population of ethnic Nepalis.

“We had no human rights,” says Dhan. “Women could not wear their hair long; they could not put tika [a spot of red pigment] on their forehead. In Nepali culture, we pray to Hindu gods, but the Bhutanese government would not allow it.”

Beltle provided some historical context. Nepalis had immigrated to Bhutan in the 1800s, forming a distinct ethnic community known as Lhotsampas, or “People of the South.” They were granted citizenship in Bhutan in the 1950s, and many became more integrated into Bhutanese society. However, the Lhotsampas maintained their language, religion and customs. In the 1980s, the government in Bhutan instituted a program of Bhutanization and attempted to force the Lhotsampas to convert to Buddhism, speak Dzongkha, the official language of Bhutan, and wear Bhutanese-style clothing.

Dhan informed me of one aspect of Bhutanization that was even more radical. In fact, through his thick accent, it took me a few moments to fully understand what he said.

“They wanted Nepalis to marry Bhutanese people,” says Dhan. I re-stated what he said, asking him if they were forced to intermarry with the Bhutanese. Dhan replies, “Forced. Pushed to marry Bhutanese and become Buddhist.”

In the midst of an outcry and political organization by the Lhotsampas, the Bhutanese government stripped them of their citizenship. In December 1990, tens of thousands fled Bhutan back to their traditional homeland of Nepal.

Unfortunately for these refugees, the Nepali government was not any more hospitable.

“The Nepali government did not recognize the Lhotsampas as Nepalis either,” says Beltle.

Denied citizenship again, countless Lhotsampas became a people without a home. The U.N. quickly set up refugee camps in eastern Nepal, seven in all. Dhan met his wife, Meena, in Nepal. Unlike Dhan, Meena is a Nepali citizen. However, even marriage did not grant Dhan admission into Nepal. Without any other options, Meena moved with Dhan into a refugee camp, Beldangi 1.

Not surprisingly, life in the camp was difficult. Dhan and Meena’s children were born there. The children attended a school run by a non-governmental organization, where Dhan taught the Dzongkha language, a reminder that, despite the harsh treatment, many refugees still considered themselves Bhutanese. Dhan also created hand-painted signage for customers in Damak, a Nepali city in the region of the refugee camps. Meena made handmade tablecloths and traditional men’s hats, called topi.

For four years, Dhan and his family waited while their application for resettlement in the United States was processed.

No Resources

In 2008, the U.N. began the resettlement process. Neither Bhutan nor Nepal were taking the necessary strides to rectify the refugee crisis, so the U.N. turned to the United States for help. Cities across the country began receiving refugees.

“Resettlement is designed to be permanent,” says Beltle. “They are granted refugee status for one year. At that point, they can apply for a green card and be granted permanent residency. Finally, after five years of residency, refugees can apply for citizenship.”

However, prior to being granted a green card, refugees receive a special immigrant status.

“Most immigrants who come to the United States have to prove that they have connections and the resources to survive in order to be granted a visa. Refugees don’t have any resources,” says Beltle.

Instead, the United States immediately grants refugees the right to work and gives them access to welfare services. Even without a green card, refugees receive a Social Security number. Furthermore, the United States grants funds to charitable organizations, like Church World Services or Catholic Charities, which facilitate refugee resettlement.

Point Person

The resettlement process requires a lot of groundwork. Much of that work falls on the shoulders of volunteers.

Harrisburg resident Charity Roberts has dedicated her life to refugee resettlement. She began while a student at Messiah College. It was there that she met her first Nepali refugee. She then began working with Church World Services as an intern. Because CWS is based out of Lancaster, she became a point person for their placements in Harrisburg. She also teaches English as a Second Language for Catholic Charities.

Considering how convoluted American bureaucracy can be, such work is essential for refugee survival.

“I helped refugees navigate a lot of different issues,” says Roberts. “I took them to the Social Security office and helped them make appointments. I made sure they knew who to contact in an emergency.”

Many refugees do not speak English and, considering the challenge of education in the refugee camps, many are illiterate in their native language as well. Thus, coordinating appointments and making necessary connections to basic health services can be very difficult. It is easy to see how invaluable volunteers like Roberts are.

Still a Struggle

Dhan and his family were excited about arriving in Pennsylvania. After a first wave of refugees settled in a place, subsequent families often would go to cities where they already had family connections. Such was the case for Dhan and his family.

“Our family helped us find an apartment,” says Dhan.

However, despite speaking English and having a network of support, Dhan still struggled when he arrived.

“In Nepal, I was an artist, and I had a job,” says Dhan. “When I came to Harrisburg, I was jobless.”

Eventually, both Dhan and Meena found work at a meat processing plant. There, they work the second shift. Although the work is not ideal, they are very thankful to be able to work together on the same shift.

Dhan and Meena are most thankful that their children get to attend school. Although they attended school in the camp, their classes contained as many as 50 students.

Monita, who attends Marshall School, is especially happy about the opportunity. At school, she has many other Nepali friends. She is so enthusiastic about her classes that she quickly scrolls through the pictures in her phone to show me a picture of her ESL teacher.

“I am glad they can be in school and get knowledge,” says Dhan.

Despite Harrisburg’s reputation for underperforming schools, Dhan and his family remind us that just having access to education is a privilege that many around the world do not have.

The Nepali refugee community has already begun to leave a mark on the city. New stores, such as Nepali Pasal, have opened to meet the needs of the community.

However, their experience in Harrisburg has not been wholly positive. Already, Dhan has been robbed. With a limited understanding of the appropriate procedures in such an occurrence, refugees can be easy targets for exploitation.

“It can be dangerous here,” says Dhan, referring to the area of Allison Hill where he and many other Nepalis live.

Harrisburg Home

Despite countless difficulties, Nepali refugees already consider themselves lucky to be in a place like Harrisburg. Yet there is still so much more that the city can do to be welcoming to them.

“The best thing Harrisburg can do is understand the Nepali refugees’ background,” says Roberts. “People see the refugees walking along the river but don’t know why they’re there. One of the things the Nepali refugees suffer from is isolation. But once you have a connection with one refugee, you become part of the whole Nepali community.”

I asked if there are concrete things residents can do to connect with the community.

“Volunteering with an ESL class is an easy way to help,” says Roberts. “Places like Catholic Charities are always looking for volunteers. Individual churches can volunteer to sponsor a family. Refugees arrive without any furniture or other essentials, so donations can be a huge help.”

While I speak with Roberts, it becomes clear that her work with the Nepali community has benefited her as much as it has benefitted them.

As Roberts states: “There is a solid attitude about family life that we can learn from the Nepalis. The way they take care of one another. They have a lot to teach us about community.”

In my short time interacting with the Nepali community, I would definitely agree. I was graciously invited into a Nepali home. Before my interview was complete, Dhan pulled out a camera so that I might be included in a family photo.

Perhaps most importantly, “We, as Americans, can learn a lot about contentment from Nepalis,” Roberts says.

Again, thinking back to my conversation with Dhan, I have little doubt that Roberts is right. Despite being mugged and living in an apartment that most Americans would describe as cramped, Dhan is shy about saying anything negative about Harrisburg. Dhan has waited 20 years to find a home. Halfway around the world, in a place he often struggles to understand, it is obvious that he feels that his family has finally found one.

Warts and All: Though ugly, most childhood warts are not cause for serious concern.

September 29, 2013 | by Dr. Deepa Sekhar

If you touch a frog…

Don’t worry, you will not get warts, despite the classic myth that the bumps on a frog are contagious! The common skin wart, which resembles a cauliflower or solid blister, is actually caused by a virus. Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes warts by invading small cuts or scratches on the fingers, hands and feet. It can take up to six months after exposure to HPV for a wart to appear.

Kids and young people tend to get warts more often than adults. In particular, kids with eczema who frequently scratch and leave breaks in their skin, nail biters and kids who pick their hangnails seem to get warts more often. Touching a wart does not mean you will automatically get one, too, but warts are spread by close contact. Skin softened by water tends to be more vulnerable to infection, as HPV likes warm, moist environments. Kids typically pick up HPV by touching something a person with a wart has used, like a towel or shower floor.

Skin warts can occur in different places. Common skin warts are typically seen on fingers, hands, knees and elbows. Plantar warts are found on the soles of the feet. Flat warts are smoother than other warts, with flat tops and a pink, light brown or yellow color. Kids typically get them on their faces, hands and knees. Some warts are sexually transmitted. A child with warts on the genitals or rectum should see a doctor.

For most people, a wart is just mildly bothersome. Treatment is not always necessary, and in two-thirds of cases, skin warts resolve on their own within two years. During this time period, the wart may continue to enlarge and new warts may appear. I typically see children in the office when the warts are cosmetically bothersome or painful.

Several different treatments are available for warts, depending on the size and location. Most of these treatments work by destruction of the infected skin, so they must be applied carefully to avoid irritating healthy skin. Salicylic acid preparations are available over the counter and by prescription, depending on their strength. They can be applied directly to the wart. They come as liquids that can be “painted” on and as pre-medicated patches applied like Band-Aids. Cryotherapy involves freezing the wart. Over-the-counter kits are available for this. Many doctors’ offices use liquid nitrogen to freeze warts, though young children may not tolerate this as well. Duct tape applied to warts has also been shown to speed resolution, and, in some cases, I will recommend this along with one of the other treatments. Laser treatments and prescription creams are available for certain recalcitrant warts.

In between treatments, the dead skin from the wart should be filed off with a nail file or pumice stone. It is important to understand that multiple treatments may be required to remove a wart completely. Even when the wart falls off, the skin underneath may still contain virus particles, allowing the wart to recur.

You should speak to your child’s doctor before attempting over-the-counter wart remedies on an infant or young child. Again, your child’s doctor should be seen for warts on the genitals or rectum. Warts on the face, where scarring is more of a concern, should be seen by a physician prior to treatment. Warts that become painful, red and swollen and bleed should also be evaluated by a medical provider.

You can reduce the chance your child will develop warts by encouraging good hand washing and maintaining a treatment regimen in children with eczema. Flip-flops or water shoes should be worn at public pools and locker rooms to reduce exposure as well. Though bothersome, most warts are harmless and will resolve in time. If you kiss that frog, who knows? You might just get a prince!

Clean Shot: A well-maintained gun is a safe gun.

September 29, 2013 | by Kermit G. Henning

Whether you are a target shooter, a benchrest shooter, a varmint hunter, a general all-around hunter or merely own a gun for home or personal protection, nothing affects the accuracy of your firearms more than a clean barrel. A clean, well-maintained barrel leads to tighter groups and more confidence for you as a shooter, no matter what your target may be.

Any mechanical device, including firearms, demands regular and proper maintenance. For guns, a good cleaning and lubrication after each use ensures peak performance, but it does not mean that your firearm must be totally disassembled to clean it. Unless there are special circumstances like extremely dirty shooting conditions or exposure to bad weather, any firearm can get a good fundamental cleaning in five easy steps.

The first step may seem so obvious but is the most important one in the entire process. Make sure your gun is unloaded! Take out all the clips or magazines, remove the bolt from your rifle or lock open the action of a semi-automatic rifle, shotgun or pistol. Brush these parts with solvent until like-new clean and dry off completely. Bolts should be lightly lubricated with a fine gun oil.

While you are at it, examine the ammunition coming out of your gun. If you are a waterfowler, for example, everything you carry with you is at one time or another exposed to dirt, water and the worst shooting conditions imaginable. Putting dirty shells in a dirty gun makes for poor performance, as well as unsafe practices.

The next step is to brush the barrel with solvent. For guns that have been properly maintained and regularly cleaned, a nylon brush may suffice. For barrels that may have a buildup of carbon, powder, lead and copper, totally fouling the barrel, a stiffer bronze brush is ideal. Start from the breech end and work to the muzzle. This keeps the dirt from being washed back into the action. Repeat as needed, depending on how dirty the barrel is. Let the solvent sit in the barrel for 10 to 15 minutes to allow it to work, to soften and dissolve any fouling.

Now, run the brush through the barrel again and again, as often as necessary to remove all the softened gunk. Once you have removed the bulk of the dirt, run a cloth patch down the barrel to push out any excess carbon. Remove the dirty patch and replace it with a clean one for every pass through the barrel—again, working from breech to muzzle. Run a clean patch through the barrel as many times as it takes to clean out the residue. I repeat this process until the patch comes out clean.

Depending on how many rounds were shot through the gun since it was last cleaned, you may need to run through these steps another time. Six or seven shots through a deer rifle in a season is far different than 500 or so through an AR rifle or a semi-automatic handgun used in police training.

The final step to a clean gun is a very light lubrication. Too much oil is definitely bad; guns do not operate well swimming in heavy gun oil. In colder weather, especially, the oil can harden, clogging actions and affecting performance. Using a soft, clean, cotton cloth, wipe down all metal parts with genuine gun oil. Run another lightly oiled patch through the barrel.

Now, your gun is properly cleaned, ready for storage and your next time afield, or to the range.

When storing guns, do not store them in any kind of sealed case. Moisture can build up in these cases, causing rust to develop. Long guns should be stored standing up in a locked, secure place. For safety’s sake, keep the ammunition in a separate place from the guns. Check the guns occasionally to make sure no surface rust has developed. If you continue to maintain your guns after each use, they will be ready when you need them.

A Welcome Re-Development: Late to the game, Harrisburg begins to see value in preserving its historic legacy.

September 29, 2013 | by Lawrance Binda

“Why can’t we . . .?”

When people tell me they’ve just returned to Harrisburg from a trip, they often approach me with one type of question. They’ve gone to D.C. or New England or—God help us—Europe, and they want to know:

Why can’t we have the charming houses and shops of Georgetown?

Why can’t we have a great public transit system like Boston?

Why can’t we have the clean streets and rock-solid infrastructure of Munich or Geneva or Amsterdam?

I have that thought too. I sometimes have it even when I’m just down the road in Lancaster, a small, midstate city like Harrisburg, but one that has had much greater success in reviving its fortunes.

Recently, that thought hit me hard when I was in Baltimore, a city that, in some ways, reminds me of a supersized version of Harrisburg. Baltimore is also a water town that suffers to this day from post-industrial decline. It has made some forward strides, but much of the city remains poor, troubled and gritty.

Baltimore has made the most progress reviving residential areas near the Inner Harbor. Walking around Fells Point, I remembered when that neighborhood was just beginning its comeback, a renaissance that now has spread to surrounding blocks. Today, who can walk around the winding, colonial-era cobblestone streets, hard against the harbor, and not be charmed by the restored brick houses, narrow sidewalks and 200-year-old taverns?

Imagine this: Fells Point was nearly smashed into extinction. In the 1960s, an elevated highway plan almost destroyed the neighborhood until a revolt by residents killed the project. Today, it’s the very preservation of those old houses, shops and streets that has allowed Fells Point to become a beachhead in the re-population and revival of the city.

Other American cities, of course, have followed a similar pattern. Manhattan was almost cut into ribbons by three highways that were planned, east to west, through the borough. In D.C., the “inner loop” expressway nearly doomed chunks of Capitol Hill and other neighborhoods. Like in Baltimore, the people there, already angered by other road projects and misguided attempts at “urban renewal,” which leveled large parts of their historic cities, finally fought back. Then the rebuilding began.

Which circles me back to Harrisburg.

Harrisburg’s history follows a similar path, but we’re very late to the game of preservation and revival. Yes, we had the post-war disasters of highway construction, including the widening of Forster Street, which may have harmed the city more than any other single project. We also experienced the leveling of historic buildings and blocks, which has given us eyesores as varied as the Town House and state Archives buildings, among many others.

But Harrisburg suffered an additional wave of destruction, well after most other cities had wised up to the importance of preserving their historic legacies. During the 1980s and ‘90s, the razing continued so that, today, Harrisburg’s largely Victorian-era downtown has been broken up into a confusing mess of architectural styles, too-big buildings and surface parking lots and garages.

But now we finally may have learned our lesson.

The announcement last month that Gamut Theatre had purchased and will transform the historic First Church of God into its new home was a singular event in the history of this city. The church’s congregation had become too small to support the circa-1854 building. So up stepped Gamut, which had been looking for a place to buy (almost moving to the suburbs in the process) after renting in Strawberry Square for 20 years.

Gamut’s purchase builds upon a trend that has been rapidly gaining steam in this city. Just in the past few years, the buildings that have been saved, renovated and often repurposed read like a who’s who of historic structures from historian Ken Frew’s seminal study of city architecture, “Building Harrisburg.”

Riverview Manor. The Governor’s Hotel. The Kunkel building. The Furlow building. The Gannett Fleming building. The Glass Factory. William Seel building. Tracy Mansion. As I write this, Brickbox Enterprises is finishing up its conversion of the Barto building to the LUX condominiums; WCI Partners is repurposing the once-deteriorating Moffitt Mansion on Front Street into a new home for WebpageFX; GreenWorks is turning the old Keystone Bank building into a new home for the Susquehanna Art Museum.

Coming soon: the renovation of the Stokes Millworks building into a farm-to-table restaurant and, we’ve just learned, the repurposing of another building into a home for Alter Ego Brewing Co., both due to open next year.

These conversions give the lie to the Reed-era claim that Harrisburg had to destroy itself to save itself. It’s been said that Steve Reed never met a bond deal he didn’t like. I would add that he rarely met a demolition permit he didn’t like. The losses of historically important buildings during his lengthy administration are their own type of tragedy.

Urban renewal in places as varied as Pittsburgh, Washington and Kansas City worked only when these cities embraced their history and stopped flattening it. People want to visit, dine, shop and spend their money in places that are visually appealing, charming and walkable. They may even want to live in them. They tend to avoid cities and neighborhoods that are, for lack of a better word, ugly—whose historic charm has been stripped away, replaced by urban highways and by hulking, cold, unwelcoming buildings too large for their 200-year-old streets.

Certainly, it’s not all roses in Baltimore, which has lost many historic buildings due to misguided urban renewal and road projects there, particularly in and near the central business district. Perhaps that’s why, while historic Fells Point was bustling during my recent visit, downtown was, as it typically is on weekends, a virtual ghost town—empty, almost eerily quiet, unpleasant to be in and walk around.

To its fortune, Baltimore is big enough to absorb and partially recover from past mistakes. While some areas may have been ravaged, the city has other colonial and Victorian neighborhoods that, still largely intact, can act as anchors for future growth.

Tiny Harrisburg does not have that luxury. The state already has gobbled up several historic downtown and near-downtown areas, and road and building projects have consumed much of the rest. As a result, the city has just a few downtown streets that retain their Victorian-era allure. Midtown has more of a legacy to build on, but it also has lost much of its historic character, with too many blocks fallen to empty lots, bland housing complexes and general dilapidation.

The half-full side of this issue is that Harrisburg seems finally to have reached a point where other cities were 30 years ago. The mindset appears to have changed from a preferred option of leveling historic buildings to one of wanting to save and re-use them.

Concern for the city’s history finally seems to have migrated from a few preservationist “nuts” into mainstream thinking by developers, officials and residents. Perhaps that’s because the city government no longer has the capacity or money to lead large-scale re-development projects. Maybe it’s because people have become more conscientious of preservation or are at least willing to consider the idea that renovated and re-purposed buildings can continue to serve a function and be good for business.

Whatever the reason, it’s a welcome development. Harrisburg has lost so much that its downtown may never have the charm of renovated areas of downtown Lancaster or York, much less the appeal of desirable neighborhoods in larger cities. However, it retains enough of its legacy that, with a little fixing, scrubbing and streetscaping, the city could be a far more desirable place to visit and live in. And that’s good and that’s timely because, in this country, urban living is where the arc of history is bending.

Bustin’ Makes Them Feel Good: Got a ghost? These guys take calls from the beyond.

September 29, 2013 | by Stephanie Kalina-Metzger

It’s that time of year when the air turns brisk, the leaves begin their showy display and our thoughts turn to pumpkins and having a little fun during the upcoming Halloween season. While you’re choosing your costume and planning your next scary prank, chances are the Harrisburg Area Paranormal Society (HAPS) is staking out an area that is rumored to be haunted, and they don’t scare easily.

Founded in 2007 by York resident John Curley and Mechanicsburg resident Don Frank, HAPS is a professional paranormal research team that investigates and validates hauntings in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia.

Frank said he became intrigued with ghost shows and the evidence-gathering process, so he decided to try it himself. “I purchased a recorder from Radio Shack and took it to the Gettysburg Battlefield and came back with my first EVP and, after that, I was hooked,” he said.

For those unfamiliar with ghostly lingo, EVP stands for Electronic Voice Phenomena—electronic recordings that sound like human speech, which are picked up by the sensitivity of the equipment.

The first EVP that Frank captured from the Gettysburg site was a simple, “Yes,” after he spoke into his tape recorder, inquiring if anyone was present, he said. He then recounts capturing another EVP at a Gettysburg site.

“I took a group with me to Sachs Bridge after hearing stories about activity there. My nephew was skeptical and said he didn’t believe in spirits, so I asked, ‘What do you think about that?’ The EVP came back as, ‘You are funny, ha, ha, ha,’” said Frank.

Shortly after capturing that rather elaborate EVP, Frank decided to pair up with John Curley, who was also fascinated with the paranormal. The two decided to found HAPS. Since its inception, HAPS has done about 50 investigations, all free of charge to those having problems with things that go bump in the night.

Summoning HAPS is easier than summoning ghosts to perform on demand, so Curley and Frank usually ask residents to vacate the house to avoid sound contamination, and then they set up shop for seven or eight hours. Armed with infrared cameras, a parabolic dish capable of magnifying sounds up to 40 decibels, thermal imagers, DVR systems, electromagnetic field detectors, motion sensors and handheld digital recorders, HAPS goes to work, often capturing a treasure trove of information to prove to beleaguered homeowners they aren’t imagining things.

“We had a house in Ephrata that was experiencing paranormal activity, and we caught a shadow figure on camera. It blocked out the dresser, moved into the closet and was gone. On our cameras, black appears as white and this figure was white. There was no way a car or headlights could have produced it. It was a solid piece of evidence,” said Frank.

Shelby Sweigert, who lives in that Ephrata house, called HAPS to investigate, worrying that her mind was playing tricks on her.

“When we first moved in, things were quiet, then I got pregnant with my son and things started happening—I’d hear a woman singing, foot stomps on the landing and voices coming through the baby monitor. Then I watched a television program called ‘The Haunted’ on an episode of Animal Planet where they mentioned HAPS, so I called John. He was flabbergasted with the evidence and assured me I wasn’t crazy.”

Sweigert said that Curley, after doing a bit of research on the house, discovered that it was the site of a funeral home that had burned down. All of this continues to make her uneasy, but she said she’s not currently in a position to move, so she has learned to live with it. “Things go in waves. Right now, we’re in a quiet time,” she said, with a sigh of relief.

Frank and Curley don’t drive out any of the spirits, but they do validate what people report seeing and hearing, and sometimes that is all the residents need to breathe a bit easier. “I feel like we’re helping them,” said Frank, who said he’s still fascinated by everything he’s witnessed. “It’s amazing they can even communicate at all; our theory is that they are using sound waves,” he said, referring to the spirits that reach out from beyond the grave.

Still skeptical? The group invites you to visit their website to read stories of evidence they’ve documented.

“There’s more in this world than you and I see and hear every day. I’ve had too much happen in the last few years to think otherwise,” said Frank.

For more information, visit www.harrisburgareaparanormalsociety.com.

Governor’s Awards for the Arts

September 29, 2013 | by Admin

Pennsylvania’s artists, innovators and patrons will be celebrated when the Governor’s Awards for the Arts returns to Harrisburg on Oct. 22. Youth performers and exhibits will be featured at 5:30 p.m. in the Strawberry Square arcade. The awards ceremony begins at 7 p.m. at Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts and is free and open to the public. This year’s honorees are:

Jerry Pinkney: Distinguished Arts Award
Kathleen Mulcahy and Ron Desmett: Artists of the Year
LIVE (Chad Taylor, Patrick Dahlheimer and Chad Gracey): Arts Innovation Award
Bill and Beverlee Lehr: Patron Award

The Harrisburg Hershey region will showcase its unique cultural assets with pre- and post-event celebrations of local youth and professional artists. The awards ceremony is administered by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and events are coordinated by Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau, Jump Street and Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania.

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