Doing Good December

December 22, 2012 | by Richelle Dourte

In the last few years, talk about going green has been big, but for some it is more than shopping at a farmers’ market during the growing season or using CFL bulbs.

The Manada Conservancy is a land trust, a local, member-supported nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of the natural, historic, agricultural and scenic resources of Dauphin County and to the promotion of environmental education.

It began in 1996 with a group of concerned citizens wishing to protect their community from overdevelopment surrounding the Manada and Swatara creek basins. It has become an organization responsible for protecting open space, farmland and woodland throughout Dauphin County; a leader of the Swatara Greenway project; a source of environmental education programming; and a proponent for regional native plant landscaping. It is your local land trust.

Ensuring that woodlands, clean rivers and agricultural lands exist for the generations that follow us should be a priority in our planning. Manada seeks to keep a portion of farmland or creek-side habitat from development and supports revitalization of our existing communities as well as smart growth.

We have seen the effects of semi-planned development over the last 50 years in the greater Harrisburg area. If you have not, I encourage you to compare recent aerial photographs of South Central PA landscapes and photos from 10, 20, and 50 years ago. The change is dramatic and continues at a fast pace, even in this economic state. Imagine what it will look like in another 10, 20 or 50 years.

Although there may be big solutions out there, more often we are restricted to working small. Manada operates in Dauphin County. News of who we are and what we do has been strong in the Hummelstown/Hershey area, and we are seeing the word spread to Harrisburg and the West Shore. Manada is a small organization that is primarily funded by our members. Our membership dues enable us to preserve land and to enact the other part of our dual mission: environmental education.

We offer free programs at least four times a year, on topics ranging from climate change to owl identification and container gardening. Manada is also known for the native plant landscaping initiative that has been encouraging the use of native plants for well over a decade. Twice a year we hold a fund-raising native plant sale and throughout the year we offer fact sheets and advice on this type of gardening that supports biodiversity.

Manada wants to strengthen its relationship with the Harrisburg community. If you value land preservation and environmental education, consider becoming a member or find time to volunteer. It is because of our members and our volunteers that we continue this good work.

Our main support of membership runs annually and begins at $25 (about $2 per month). We seek volunteers to assist with a variety of tasks, from maintenance work on preserved properties to setting up at events and graphic design on outreach materials.

To learn more: www.manada.org. Richelle Dourte is administrative assistant at Manada Conservancy.

Celebrate History and the Holidays at Fort Hunter

December 22, 2012 | by Stephanie Kalina-Metzger

If you’re a Harrisburg resident, chances are you may have driven past Fort Hunter countless times, but are you aware of the rich history behind the small stretch of land overlooking the Susquehanna River?

Settled in 1725, the property deemed “Hunters Mill” was named after Robert Hunter, a pioneer who had previously settled there, and the grist and saw mills, which were an important part of the area. The settlement thrived for years undisturbed until the French and Indian War threatened its existence. In an attempt to protect the area and its environs, the British built a series of forts reaching from Harrisburg to Sunbury. Fort Hunter, as it was called, was built in a bend along the river in 1756 and served as a supply depot and an alarm station.

After the war, the sturdy structure fell into disrepair and remained dormant until 1787 when Captain Archibald McAllister purchased the land and turned it into a self-sufficient frontier village, complete with mills, shops, a tavern and distillery.

Prominent Harrisburg resident Daniel Dick Boas later purchased the property in 1870 and eventually willed it to his daughter Helen and son-in-law John Reily, who, in turn, willed it to their nieces and nephews. Niece Margaret Wister Meigs recognized the historical significance of the property and bought out the others’ shares, creating the Fort Hunter Foundation.

Today, Dauphin County owns the property, located a few miles north of the city, and each year more activities are added to promote the historical significance of the Fort Hunter Mansion and the grounds that surround it.

This holiday season families are encouraged to mix history with the holidays by touring the Fort Hunter Mansion, decorated by the Harrisburg Garden Club.

“When we give a tour of the mansion, we don’t talk about china and furniture, we talk about how families lived hundreds of years ago and how they celebrated the holidays,” said park manager Julia Hair, noting children enjoy the tours as well.

After the tour, families may visit the elaborate toy train exhibit located in the Centennial Barn where children and adults alike can experience the sights and sounds of the railroad courtesy of the Keystone Model Railroad Historical Society.

Children age 12 and under can choose that special gift at a “Kids Only” holiday store also located in the Centennial Barn. Santa’s elves will be available to help little hands neatly wrap their treasures and all items will be priced under $10.

“The Festival of Trees,” is another big holiday draw enjoyed by Fort Hunter visitors. The annual event features trees trimmed by the Civic Committee of the Garden Club of Harrisburg. If you’re feeling lucky, you might even want to purchase a raffle ticket to vote for your favorite. “If you’re the winner, you can take the tree home,” Hair said.

Each year, the crowds grow larger as the word continues to spread about the many events offered at Fort Hunter. According to Hair, approximately 1,000 people took part in the family-friendly activities last season. “It makes for a nice little holiday outing without having to spend a lot of money,” she said.

For a list of prices, times and events, visit: https://forthunter.org/

In Complete Harmony: Greater Harrisburg Chorus re-styles, succeeds in barbershop.

December 21, 2012 | by Maggie Ryan

On July 17, Greater Harrisburg Chorus Sweet Adelines International competed in the World Choir Games in Cincinnati Music Hall to become the first chorus to win the new barbershop category. Maggie Ryan, president of the 65-women chorus, recounted the experience:

Greater Harrisburg Chorus’s climb to the top at July’s World Choir Games in Cincinnati was an exercise in faith. The chorus floated away with the lone gold medal awarded in the barbershop championship division.

In the very first barbershop competition at this worldwide event, Greater Harrisburg emerged as champion ahead of other choruses from Sweet Adelines International, as well as Harmony Inc. and the men’s Barbershop Harmony Society.

The World Choir Games attracted 362 choirs from 64 nations. To say the chorus is delighted is an understatement. To say it is surprised is, well …

“I went in thinking, OK, silver. A silver medal would be good,” said Greater Harrisburg Master Director Claire Domenick. “Obviously, you want to win, but I didn’t want to jinx us and say we were going for gold. I thought silver would tell us the whole thing was worthwhile and that we’d done what we came to do.”

But as the event drew closer and Greater Harrisburg’s preparation jelled week after week, Claire sensed something special in the air. So did her singers and coaches. The vibe was good, really good.

“I felt it the last time I came to coach,” said Melodeers Master Director Jim Arns. “You could see it in the energy and effort from the chorus.”

The World Choir Games was not on Greater Harrisburg’s radar two years ago, when the chorus went on an international cycle, having won three straight Region 19 championships and finishing in the top 20 in Las Vegas, Honolulu and Seattle.

That followed a Region 19 gold in 2011 and a trip to Denver for international contests, where Greater Harrisburg finished a disappointing third in the regional.

Claire floated the idea of going to the World Choir Games; she had learned it had a new barbershop division at the Sweet Adelines International convention in Seattle. She knew she needed to shake things up a bit and pull the chorus’s focus to a new goal.

“We were in such a bad spin after regional that year,” she said. “Everyone was doubting themselves. I was doubting myself. We needed something else, something new. World Choir just seemed right. And this chorus loves to compete.”

Compete with men and women of different barbershop organizations, with judges from each – even outside our genre? Cool. It would be the Olympics of singing, and in the United States for the first time, just a bus ride away in Cincinnati, Ohio.

It would be at once different and familiar. It could be just the balm the chorus needed. But to do it right, Greater Harrisburg would need to skip regional contests for 2012 and put all its resources into World Choir Games.

In 56 years as a chapter of Sweet Adelines, Greater Harrisburg has competed in every regional contest in which it was eligible. But with only a couple of months between regional contest and World Choir Games, Claire and her music team knew there would not be enough time to get ready for both.

It could become intense, but the chorus took a light approach. During one rehearsal, Coach Arns arrived to find the chorus in its pajamas, asleep on the risers.

The games arrived so fast it made heads spin. The magnificent Music Hall, an old historic opera house, was packed with more than 4,000 listeners. It was at once enormous and intimate.

The goal was simple: show the world what barbershop music is about. Perhaps that’s what ultimately gave Greater Harrisburg the freedom to be at its best. Greater Harrisburg Chorus won it all, and while other choruses will be barbershop champions in the future, only one will be the first, and we’re extremely proud it’s us.

Maggie Ryan is president of the Greater Harrisburg Chorus and the chair of the Sweet Adelines International membership committee.

Christmas Mystery, in Song: Mistletoe Magic glitters at Forum.

December 20, 2012 | by Peter Durantine

Music calls forth memories, whether happy or sad, but no tunes seem as evocative as those played during the holiday season.

“It just takes us back to our childhoods,” said pianist Rich Ridenour. “For me, it takes me back to my childhood and all the mystery and magic of Christmas.”

Jazz vocalist Amy Banks said no matter what the holiday, the music is part of the pattern of our traditions.

“From the religious carols to ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer;’ it’s part of the fabric of who we are,” she said. “That’s for any holiday music.”

For Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra’s “Mistletoe Magic” program this month, Ridenour and Banks will perform holiday favorites accompanied by the Messiah College Concert Choir and Susquehanna Children’s Chorale.

With Stuart Malina conducting, the program will include “Christmas Time is Here,” “Joy to the World,” “Carol of the Bells,” “Rhapsody in Blue Christmas,” the “Hallelujah Chorus” and more.

With Ridenour and Banks, the program is expected to have a special magic – Ridenour infusing his splendid arrangements with humor and comedy; and Banks, a torch singer with a wonderful smoky-sounding voice that evokes many emotions.

“I hope my strong suit is evoking emotion in the music I sing,” said the modest singer who lives in Lancaster and has performed around the world including, earlier this year, her European club debut at Jazz Club Soyouz Kompozitorov in Moscow.

Like Christmas music, jazz endures, Banks said. “I think jazz, in a lot of ways, is ageless,” she said. “Jazz is an art that requires some maturity.”

From his home in Jacksonville, Fla., where he’s involved in helping underprivileged youth access music education and instruments (he organized placing pianos around the city for anyone to sit down and play), Ridenour talked about the effect of comedy between performances of Beethoven and Gershwin.

“I think it draws the audience in more and draws a wider audience,” he said. “You can have fun with music.”

Like Christmas music, their instruments – Banks’ vocals, Ridenour’s piano – evoke something about them as people, about who they are.

“I can feel awful all day long and then I sit down at the piano and I feel great,” Ridenour said.

Speaking of herself, Banks said, “It’s a blessing to have a genre that you can relate to so strongly.”

Christmas music is no doubt a blessing to many, and so are its performers.

Mistletoe Magic is 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 8 and 3 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 9 at the Forum in Harrisburg. Tickets are $12 to $45, depending on seating location, and available online at www.HarrisburgSymphony.org or by calling 717-545-5527.

Decades of Sheep, Shakes: Wintertime is Farm Show time.

December 20, 2012 | by Jason Wilson

The Pennsylvania State Farm Show, the largest indoor agricultural exposition in the United States, traces its roots to the 1851 Pennsylvania State Fair that was initially held in Harrisburg.

Throughout the 19^th century, the fair was held in different Pennsylvania towns. By 1899, the fair had fallen out of popular appeal due to the many “sideshow acts” that accompanied it. The public, however, still craved a statewide agricultural exhibition.

The original Farm Show committee of 1916 selected January as the time when farmers would look toward the upcoming year for buying such necessities as seeds, fertilizer, and farming implements.

In January 1917, a new, three-day agricultural show billed the “Pennsylvania Corn, Fruit, Vegetable, Dairy Products and Wool Show” was held in Harrisburg to great success. It has remained here ever since.

By 1921, livestock was incorporated into the annual event. By 1925, attendance had grown to 40,000 and was housed in numerous buildings throughout the city.

Growth of the Farm Show indicated the need for a central location for the event. The state appropriated money to build a suitable facility and construction of the complex occurred throughout the 1930s.

On the show’s 15^th anniversary, the new “Main Hall” was unveiled on a 40-acre lot at the corner of Cameron and Maclay streets. By January 1939, the 2.2-acre “Large
Arena” featuring 7,600 seats was completed.

During World War II, the Farm Show was not held and the multi-building complex was used for reconditioning airplane engines. After the war the Farm Show resumed, and the annual event became even more popular.

Renovations and upgrades were made during the 1970s. In 2002, a major renovation, at $86.2 million, vastly expanded the complex. The facility now has 1 million-square-feet of exhibit space under one roof.

The success of the Pennsylvania Farm Show demonstrated that interest in the state’s agriculture heritage thrives and the renovation of the Farm Show Complex ensures that the annual event will continue to delight generations to come.

The 97^th annual Farm Show in 2013 runs Jan. 5-12.

Meal Fit for a Grinch: For Rosemary’s family, Christmas dinner means roast beef.

December 20, 2012 | by Rosemary Ruggieri Baer

When it comes to Christmas dinner, I don’t change things very much. Our day is pretty much the same, year after year: Church in the morning, followed by a late morning brunch, and then a game our family calls “Baer Family Trivia.” Opening presents follows, along with a rather lazy afternoon.

Our Christmas dinner is always in the early evening and is usually a small gathering of about eight sitting around a candlelit table. This year might be a little less tranquil as a precious chocolate lab puppy will be joining us.

After the excesses of Thanksgiving, I keep Christmas dinner pretty simple. I always make a standing rib roast with potatoes cooked along the side, a simple green vegetable and maybe a Sicilian salad of sliced oranges, red onions and black olives. Desert is often just cookies or slices of bourbon cake made weeks before the holiday.

My biggest challenge for Christmas Day is not winning Baer Family Trivia but rather not turning the rib roast into one giant hockey puck. Believe me; I have done this on more than one occasion.

I usually order my roast at the Farmers’ Market and ask for one larger than my butcher says we will need. And as my mother taught me, I ask for the roast to be cut from the “small end,” which is said to be tenderer. My butcher seems to know what this means. A rib roast is expensive, but often you can find holiday specials at the grocery store. The rule of thumb is usually to allow one pound per person, adding more if you like leftovers. Cold roast beef sandwiches are wonderful with lettuce and mayonnaise.

There are many views on how to cook a rib roast. Some people believe that slow roasting is best, while others (like me) simply cook it at moderate heat after searing the meat briefly on high.

Over many years, this is what I have learned:

Buy a good meat thermometer. There is no substitute for this.
Dry the roast with paper towels before cooking.
Let the roast come to room temperature before placing in the oven. (Important)
Oil the ends of the roast to “seal” them. (Olive oil is good although some use butter)
Salting the beef is optional. Some people believe it draws the juices out of the meat. But many recipes call for a salt and herb crust to top the roast. (Experiment)
For a ten pound roast, my total cooking time is as follows:
Sear at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
Then turn the heat down to 325 and roast for about 2 ½ hours.
The most important thing is the internal temperature of the roast: About 130-135 degrees for medium rare, 140-145 degrees for medium and 150-155 degrees for medium well.
Remember that after you take the roast out of the oven, it will continue to cook as it rests. So watch the internal temperature closely.

Mid-way through the cooking time I place quartered and salted Russet or Idaho potatoes around the roast, basting them with the pan juices. By this time, the most heavenly smell will have permeated the kitchen.

When the rib roast has reached the internal temperature you desire, take it out of the oven, place it on a platter and tent it with heavy duty foil for about 20 to 30 minutes. Place the pan with the potatoes back in the oven and raise the heat to 450 degrees. This will brown and crisp the potatoes and make them irresistible.

The “Roast Beast” is now ready for the Grinch to carve. In our house, our son James is “Chief Carver.” A good friend of ours, after viewing our struggles with bad knives, gave us an electric knife a few years ago and this has made our lives much easier. But no matter how rare the meat turns out, my husband will proclaim it overdone. I do think he should get his portion from the zoo.

Slice the meat and place it on a large platter with the potatoes arranged alongside. Garnish with watercress or parsley, serve with horseradish and you will have a meal fit for a king.

Oh, and I wish all TheBurg readers a happy and blessed Christmas. Boun Natale.

Downtown Evolves: New residents change face, pace of center city.

December 20, 2012 | by Peter Durantine

Over the last few months, downtown’s Strawberry Square has seen an uptick in new tenants occupying space inside the complex and along picturesque 3^rd Street, between Market and Walnut streets.

To Harristown Development Corp., the real estate firm that owns the large retail/office complex, the increase indicates a change in demographics that is positioning the city for another renaissance, but driven more by new residents than commuters.

In August, the crepe-making Au Bon Lieu opened in one of the 3^rd Street shops; next door, a new salon, Hair at the Square, has replaced another one, and a few doors down, Sadiddy, women’s fashions and shoe store, opened in November.

Inside, on the fourth floor where Harrisburg University’s administrative offices were once located, PPL Services Corp., the utility’s government relations arm, has opened an office with 2,000 square feet of space.

In the empty shop at Strawberry Square’s Market Street entrance, Market on Market, a grocery convenience store, will open in March, as will Tropical Smoothie Cafe, a franchise to replace the food court’s Bill’s Big Burgers, which closed in November.

An improving economy is one factor behind the increase in retail tenants, but Neal West, senior vice president at Harristown Enterprises Inc., the corporation’s business arm, believes there’s more to it.

“I think one of the things that this is being driven by is more residences and students,” West said. “The student influence and the young folks living downtown are having a positive impact on retailers.”

Careim Williams, owner of Sadiddy, which sells the latest fashions in women’s clothing and shoes, located her shop next to Strawberry Square’s 3^rd Street entrance to meet demand and capture the high-foot traffic.

“The market I’m targeting is young professionals,” she said.

Williams, a Philadelphia native who has been working in fashion retail for more than seven years, said she wanted to be in the city to expand its diversity in retail fashions. “I just wanted to bring something that’s trendy,” she said.

Harristown, a nonprofit with a mission to revitalize the city’s business and cultural core, is a good barometer of economic change. For more than 38 years it has built and developed most of the major projects in the downtown area.

With the conversion of the former Governor’s Hotel and the former Kunkel Building, at 4^thand Market and 3^rd and Market respectively, into market-rate apartments now used by Harrisburg University, there are 180 students living downtown.

Then there’s last month’s opening of COBA, the apartment house on 3^rd Street in Midtown, as well as the work now underway to convert the Barto Building at 3^rd and State into condominiums, and the Glass Factory at 3^rd and Muench into market-rate apartments.

“We’re feeling pretty optimistic that good things are happening in the city, despite the (city’s) financial cloud,” said Brad Jones, Harristown’s vice president.

The 10-year-old International House, a Harristown property that now has 150 beds for its visitors to the city, further builds the critical mass retailers need to thrive downtown and elsewhere in the city, Jones said.

In a reverse of decades of urban dwellers moving to the suburbs, cities nationwide have seen a steady increase in aging baby boomers, young people and students moving in to be close to culture and services. Harrisburg appears to be part of that trend.

Another indication, West said, is that for 50 percent of the market seeking to reside in the city, good public schools is not a factor, at least at the moment.

Harrisburg, like most cities its size, has long struggled to get retailers downtown, but that struggle may become less difficult as more buildings are converted or restored for residential living to meet the demand.

“We think that’s the trend,” Jones said. “We can balance out the city’s top-heavy office space with more residences.”

Developer Dan Deitchman of Brickbox Enterprises leads development of new residential units in the city with COBA, Kunkel and Barto, to name a few. He has done so, he said, because of this trend. It’s the same reason Skynet Property Management is converting the old Glass Factory into apartments.

From Midtown to Uptown, pockets of neighborhoods are undergoing transformations that are bringing new residences and businesses. Harristown sees it now occurring downtown.

“Downtown is working its way back,” West said, and noted the Rite Aid Pharmacy on Market Street across from Strawberry Square, which for years closed at 5 p.m., is now staying open until 7 p.m., six days a week.

Defying Hitler: You can see the book that tried to expose the Nazi ideology.

December 20, 2012 | by Peter Durantine

Our story begins at the bottom shelf of a glass display case in the Midtown Scholar Bookstore. There, an old, thick tome rests. The title on its black, yellow and white tattered cover is familiar: “Mein Kampf.” What is unusual is the rest of the cover.

It has “by Hitler,” instead of Adolf Hitler. Across the top reads “The Complete Unauthorized,” and across the bottom: “This Edition Pays No Royalty to Adolf Hitler.” It was printed in Harrisburg, and its controversial publication 73 years ago ended in a minor landmark U.S. court decision.

The book was published in 1939 by Harrisburg’s Stackpole Sons, part of a local trade publishing company that included Military Service Publishing Co. It was owned by E.J. Stackpole Jr., a highly decorated World War I army officer whose father, E.J. Sr., had owned Harrisburg’s Evening Telegraph.

E.J. Jr. first acquired Military Service Publishing in 1930 from National Service Publishing Co. in Washington, D.C. In 1936, he and his brother, Albert, started Stackpole Sons, located at Cameron and Kelker streets. Today, the company’s name is Stackpole Books, operating in Mechanicsburg.

The title – “The Complete Unauthorized Mein Kampf” – sounds as if it was meant to taunt the German dictator, but E.J. Jr’s, grandson and current head of Stackpole Books, David Detweiler, said it was a warning about Hitler and his ideology.

“It was a warning to the nation, a warning to the president, a warning to the people,” Detweiler said.

By the late ‘30s, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration had concluded that America would eventually have to go to war against Hitler, but the mood of the nation was isolationist, against sending troops to fight in Europe.

Several years earlier, in 1933, New York publishing house Houghton Mifflin published an abridged version of “Mein Kampf,” titling it “My Battle,” that many critics publically decried as making the Nazi ideology sound almost benign.

By 1939, with Hitler having trampled treaties and occupied two countries, and with war closing in on Europe, Houghton Mifflin decided to publish “Mein Kampf” unabridged, but so did Stackpole Sons.

“Until last March, U. S. readers had never seen an unexpurgated, full-length translation of Hitler’s Mein Kampf,” reported Time Magazine in November ’39. “Then, simultaneously, two U. S. editions appeared.”

For a bibliophile who travels the globe to collect books for Midtown Scholar’s massive collection, store owner Eric Papenfuse wonders whether Stackpole had wittingly or unwittingly acted on the U.S. government’s behalf in publishing “Mein Kampf.”

Detweiler chuckles at the notion, noting his grandfather was a conservative Republican who disliked FDR immensely. “I can tell you categorically he had no interest in helping Franklin Roosevelt.”

As a publisher who launched his Midtown Scholar Press last year, Papenfuse finds it interesting that Stackpole had received a manuscript already translated from the German. “Where did they get their translation?” he said.

Papefuse suggests it came from the American intelligence community. Perhaps they wanted to be sure an unabridged version of “Mein Kampf” was available to the public so Americans would understand why it was necessary to go to war against Hitler.

“The government may have used them to do this,” said Papenfuse, noting Stackpole had federal contracts – and still does today – to publish military manuals.

Detweiler dismissed that theory. He said Stackpole had a New York office and the translation came from a city book agent. Is it possible the government gave the agent the manuscript in order to find an unwitting publisher?

“That’s always possible,” Detweiler said. “I could believe that.”

It was on the advice of newspaper columnist Dorothy Thompson, who Hitler had kicked out of Germany in 1934 because he didn’t like her reporting, that Stackpole decided to publish an unabridged version of “Mein Kampf,” Detweiler said.

When Stackpole released its edition, Houghton Mifflin, which held the U.S. copyright, sued Stackpole Sons in federal court. Stackpole argued Hitler’s copyright was illegal because at the time Hitler, an Austrian by birth, published the book in 1925, he had declared himself “stateless.”

According to Time, Stackpole’s lawyer, Philip Wittenberg, argued several points including that U. S. copyright law does not extend to a “stateless citizen,” that “Mein Kampf” is in the public domain, and that Nazi Germany is not the Germany with which the U. S. signed its copyright treaty of 1892.

Writing about the controversy for The New Yorker in March 1939, E.B. White called out Stackpole for refusing to pay the dictator his royalties: “From now on Hitler is going to think of us with new fury, as a bunch of highbinders who are doing him out of 30 cents on every book.”

Stackpole lost its case. It only sold 12,000 copies in the three months its “Mein Kampf” edition was available. Remaining copies were destroyed. The case is considered a minor landmark in U.S. copyright law. The court ruled stateless persons have status.

Hitler would never see royalties from either Stackpole or Houghton Mifflin because the legal wrangling did not end until late 1941, just before America entered the war against Germany, Italy and Japan.

The Gift of Grape: First on the list: a nice dessert wine.

December 20, 2012 | by Steve Juliana

As the holidays approach, much time and effort is placed on finding the perfect gift. If you have a wine lover on your short list this may cause some concern. What does that oenophile really want? Glasses? Decanters? Battery-powered corkscrews? What wine people really want is more wine.

This can present huge problems. Unless you are aware of exactly what they desire and covet, the choices, both good and bad, are endless. Surely, there is always a place in one’s cellar for a good Bordeaux or a Napa cabernet, but this is complicated. What are the good vintages? What can I, as a devoted gift giver, afford?

And as this is the season of giving and sharing, we would all like a taste of this bounty, not wait for years as the bottle matures in a cellar.

The best gift wine is dessert wine. Sauternes is France’s most famous sweet wine. Its origin is the Bordeaux region, where the Sémillon grape is primarily used to make the wine. It is gold-colored, strong and luscious, the perfect end to a meal or even alone.

Another golden dessert wine is Tokaji Aszu from Hungary. It is a wonderful rich quaff that has graced the tables of the crowned heads of Europe for centuries. Louis XIV called it, “the king of wines and the wine of kings.” What Tokaji Aszu and Sauternes have in common is the occurrence of a fungus known as “noble rot.” The grapes are attacked by botrytis cinerea which causes the juice in each fruit to be concentrated while keeping the sugar content quite high. Fermentation and bottling are the next steps before the wine finds its way onto the table of a very fortunate recipient. Both these wines are available locally.

Another dessert wine that deserves our attention is Ice wine. This type of beverage originated in Germany. The grapes are allowed to freeze on the vines where they shrivel and allow the natural sugars to concentrate. Riesling is used most commonly, with other grapes finding less success.

In order to harvest bunches, workers go out in freezing temperatures after dark to cut the fruit from the vines. It is very labor intensive and that is reflected in the price. But I can assure you there is nothing quite like it for its fine balance between sweetness and acidity. On the positive side, this wonderful liquid has found its way into the wineries of Ontario and New York. This can only be a windfall for all of us as the availability improves.

So, for the wine person on your gift list, don’t bother with trinkets. Get her a gift that can be considered rare, exotic, and perfectly matched for goodies after dinner or alone. If you are generous enough to give, perhaps the recipient will be generous enough to share. If my relatives or friends are reading this; make mine cognac please.

Keep sipping, Steve

Woodworking Woman: Kari Hultman carves niche in traditionally male field.

December 20, 2012 | by John K. Robinson

Working primarily with hand tools, some she has made herself, Kari Hultman of Lemoyne has been making furniture for 20 years. Starting with a simple planter box, Hultman, 48, has graduated to replicating 17th and 18th century pieces. She recently completed a woodworker’s rite of passage by building her own workbench and has taken up chip carving as decoration.

Born near Pittsburgh, Hultman graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University. Joining her parents in the Harrisburg area after graduation in 1992, she runs her graphic design agency, Step One Design, Inc., from her little white house on a broad, tree-lined street.

When her parents moved away, she stayed because she loves the area for its proximity to historic sites and museums, beautiful landscapes, and metropolitan cities.

“I love working from home and being my own boss,” Hultman said. “And I’m only ten steps away from my workshop.”

Hultman said it was an old workbench she discovered in her basement that inspired her to make some things for the house. She bought a book on woodworking and was immediately hooked. Over two decades, she’s read hundreds of books and magazines about woodworking.

Now, Hultman is sharing what she’s learned. For five years she’s written a blog called The Village Carpenter, sometimes getting up to 2,000 page views a day, and has written articles for publication. Recently, she demonstrated chip carving and hand-cut dovetails at the John Harris-Simon Cameron Mansion and Fort Hunter Park in Harrisburg and at the York County Heritage Trust.

“Kari is a great teacher, gladly sharing with others what she’s learned,” said Alan Garner, respected area woodworker and friend.

Hultman has not sold any of her work, but is starting to build some chip carved boxes for a museum store in Lancaster County. Her goals are to build ornate hand tools for sale to collectors and to write a book that includes plans for furniture from the 18th century and earlier.

A self-admitted tree-hugger, Hultman said, “I use Pennsylvania cherry almost exclusively. You can’t beat the warm glow. Cherry works easily, carves fairly well, and is readily available in this area.”

“I often find cherry wood shavings throughout the house and even clinging to the dogs,” partner Nancy Sheets said with a smile. “I’m glad that Kari has found what makes her happy.”

Hultman despises do-it-yourself projects.

“While I may be a bit more handy than the average homeowner, I don’t like repairing furniture or working on home renovations. I prefer to build furniture or projects of my own design from scratch. In fact, if we ever come into a small fortune, I will hire a full-time cook, gardener, housekeeper, and clothes shopper. The only shopping I like to do is for tools and lumber!”

“One of the things Kari does is to break down any stereotype of woodworking being for men only,” fellow woodworker Garner said.

Hultman thinks that most women are not attracted to woodworking because the machinery scares them and many women prefer to learn things from a person rather than from an instruction book. So, unless there are classes nearby, they may steer clear of woodworking.

However, it’s been a passion for her and has provided a lot of satisfaction. According to Garner, Kari’s talents in fine woodworking put her among the best in the nation.

“Woodworkers are some of the nicest, most generous people I’ve ever met,” Hultman said. I don’t know if it’s a characteristic found in all craftspeople, but I’ve been fortunate to make some wonderful friends over the years – thanks to that old workbench in the basement.”

To follow Kari Hultman on her Village Carpenter blog, visit villagecarpenter.blogspot.com.

John K. Robinson is former press secretary and web editor for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg.

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