Being “Fit and Well”

November 29, 2012 | by Robin Perry-Smith and Eugene J. Lengerich

Cancer survivorship is a day-to-day, ongoing process that begins with your diagnosis and continues through the rest of your life. It is essential when moving forward with survivorship to keep your body fit and well. Healthy living and lifestyle behavior matters as breast cancer patients move beyond cancer.

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among females in Harrisburg. In 2009, 32 women in the city of Harrisburg were diagnosed with breast cancer and seven died, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

White women are more likely to develop breast cancer, but less likely to die from it compared to African-American women. Also, African-American women tend to have more aggressive tumors and are diagnosed later. Why? It is thought that factors that contribute to the higher death rates among African-American women include differences in access to and utilization of early detection and treatment and differences in tumor characteristics.

We are pleased to report that death rates from breast cancer have been decreasing since 1990 and are thought to be the result of treatment advances, earlier detection through screening, and increased awareness. However, there is still more work to do to prevent breast cancer and help women survive once it is diagnosed.

To celebrate cancer survivorship, the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute will partner with the Harrisburg Community Cancer Network for its 3rd annual Harrisburg Community Cancer Education Summit on Saturday, Nov. 3, at Zion Assembly Church of Harrisburg, from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The upcoming summit, Moving Forward with Survivorship: Keeping Yourself Fit and Well will celebrate breast cancer survivorship and the importance of exercise and nutrition. This event will include topics on 10 myths and facts about exercise and fitness, cancer survivorship, nutrition, a doctors panel entitled “Lost in Transition, from Oncologist to your Primary Care Physician,” a message of hope, door prizes and much more.

This event is sponsored by the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute and The Walmart Foundation through the American Cancer Society.

Harrisburg Community Cancer Education Summit, 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Sat., Nov. 3 at Zion Assembly Church of Harrisburg, 2101 N. 5th St. Robin Perry-Smith, MHA is the Program Manager for the Harrisburg Community Cancer Network at Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute. Dr. Eugene J. Lengerich, V.M.D., M.S. is director of the Community Sciences and Health Outcomes Core, which supports the Harrisburg Community Cancer Network.

Blindness Awareness

November 29, 2012 | by Paul Zavinsky

October is World Blindness Awareness Month, initiated by The Little Rock Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children who are blind or visually impaired.

This month of recognition is now supported by 64 organizations in 40 states including Central Pennsylvania’s Tri-County Association for the Blind, which joins these groups to provide awareness and a better understanding of the challenges facing the blind.

A report from Prevent Blindness America shows a sharp increase in eye disease prevalence.According to the 2012 study released by PBA and the National Eye Institute, the number of those ages 40 and older with vision impairment and blindness has increased 23 percent since the year 2000.

“It’s no surprise that the numbers of those affected by eye disease are continuing to climb, especially due to the aging Baby Boomer population,” according to Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of PBA.

What is especially concerning is the dramatic spike in diabetic retinopathy cases, an 89 percent increase; a consequence of the diabetes epidemic that this country is experiencing with no end in sight. This disease occurs when diabetes damages the tiny blood cells in the retina. It can cause blind spots, blurring, and vision loss. Early detection, appropriate and ongoing treatment, and the availability of specialized low-vision and vision rehabilitation services can help those with diabetic retinopathy live productive and satisfying lives.

Tri-County, at 1130 S. 19^th St. in Harrisburg, is a local non-profit with a 91-year history of service. Our mission, to support and promote the interests of people who are blind, visually impaired and otherwise disabled, and to provide blindness prevention services, has remained constant. The organization remains vibrant by adapting to change and meeting needs of our customers. The most recent example is the new Vision Rehab Center opened in June, providing professional comprehensive low vision care for all ages.

The organizational vision is to be the premiere resource for blindness prevention services, and to maximize opportunities for individuals who are blind and visually impaired to maintain independence.

Tri-County remains a vital community asset thanks to the support of generous donors, corporate contributions, foundation grants, and, in large part, because of the revenue generated by our Business to Business Division. In the last fiscal year these funding sources helped to provide Radio Reading Services, Tri-County’s eye clinic, computer training, Braille production, case workers with one-on-one support, prevention services that conducted more than 3,500 pre-school vision screenings and employment opportunities for persons of all disabilities. Tri-County serves more than 19,600 people in the community.

Chances are you know a friend or family member that is either blind or suffers from a visual impairment. You can raise the quality of life for these individuals by promoting awareness, contributing to Tri-County or volunteering. All acts of kindness are appreciated.

For more information and to support Tri-County Association for the Blind please call 717-238-2531 or visit at www.tricountyblind.org, or see us on Facebook.

Paul Zavinsky, Director of Development, Tri-County Association for the Blind

A Marathon Turns 40: Runners gear up for the annual trek.

November 27, 2012 | by Jess Hayden

Now in its 40^th year, the Harrisburg Marathon and Relay on Sunday, Nov. 11 is sponsored by the East Shore YMCA. Its inaugural race was Labor Day 1973 and since then nearly 18,000 athletes have competed.

Race director Andy Wahila expects at least 900 registrants this year including athletes from 28 states as well as China and Brazil.

The Harrisburg Marathon takes runners and walkers on a scenic 26.2 mile course along Riverfront Park and through historic Shipoke, uptown Harrisburg, Wildwood Lake Nature Park, and Harrisburg Area Community College.

The course is mostly flat, with the exception of a hilly, two-mile patch on the backside of Wildwood Lake. Runners are met with a rousing brass band at the base of the Walnut Street Bridge, some 400 friendly volunteers along the route, and scores of supporters with colorful banners and signs.

Harrisburg’s marathon is a qualifying race for bigger races such as the New York and Boston Marathons, but according to Hap Miller, author of the book Harrisburg Marathon: Four Decades of Running 26.22 Miles at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, “those races just don’t have the small town charm of Harrisburg.”

Miller told me that the male record holder is Rick Blood, who ran the course in 1981 in 2 hours, 21 minutes and 38 seconds and the female record of 2 hours, 44 minutes was set by Carroll Myers in 1984.

Other noteworthy competitors include blind runner Thomas Rothrock who finished the marathon three times with the help of a guide runner, Jennifer Amyx and Eric Price who both competed at age nine, and Don McNelly who was 87 years old when he crossed the finish line in ten hours, seven minutes and 42 seconds.

A marathon runner begins to train 18 weeks before the race and will run over 450 miles in preparation for the big day. Last year was my first marathon, and I did all the training by myself.

Hoping to learn from running with others, I opted this year to train with Team Aspire: a group organized by Aspire Urgent Care and Family Medicine. Team Aspire meets every Saturday morning to run together, inspire one another and to build a community around fitness. It’s a big commitment for the center, especially for the doctors and staff who often can be seen running with the group.

“We believe in encouraging fitness in and out of the office,” said Dr. Richard Rayner, who started the center with co-owner Dr David White. “When I read on our Facebook page and see how important it’s been to participants, then I know that it’s really been worth it.”

Aspire Urgent Care and Family Medicine is the title sponsor of the race for the second year in a row.

Preparing to run marathons year after year requires great dedication and perseverance, and amazingly there have been two men, Park Barner and Michael Ranck, who have run all 39 Harrisburg Marathons. I asked Ranck what keeps him going and he responded: “The realization that only two of us have maintained the desire to want it (the streak) badly enough to spend four or five hours pounding the pavement, perhaps in bad weather, helps drive one onward. I also look forward to having one of my daughters accompanying me the last half of the race, as has been the case most of the last ten years. That alone makes the streak worthwhile!”

Jess Hayden is a concert promoter who enjoys running and doing triathlons.

A Classical Century: Barnard Statues survive strict morality, rough weather.

November 27, 2012 | by Jason Wilson

Adjacent to the western entrance of the Main Capitol building sit the monumental Barnard statue groups. These two sets of statues represent one of the most visible pieces of artwork in the Capitol Complex and also stand as one of the most difficult pieces of artwork to maintain because of Pennsylvania’s sometimes harsh winters.

Bellefonte native George Grey Barnard was selected in 1902 by Capitol architect Joseph Huston to design statuary for all the Capitol’s entrances. This meant that smaller groups of statues would be placed at the Senate and House wing entrances, with a large central group at the main entrance. Barnard immediately began producing sketches and drawings for the twenty-seven figures at the Main entrance. After these were completed, he traveled to France to set up a studio and began sculpting them.

By 1904, while still at work on the main groups, the Capitol Building Commission decided to scale back production of the artwork and cancel their request for the north and south entrance sculptures. Although upsetting, this setback allowed Barnard to focus on just the massive groups for the building’s main entrance. However, none of the statues would be completed in time for the building’s dedication in October of 1906.

By 1910 the large groups were completed. They were titled Love and Labor: The Unbroken Law and The Burden of Life: The Broken Law. The rough sculpting for the groups was done by the famed Piccirilli Brothers and the finished works were exhibited at the Paris Salon, with praise from Barnard’s contemporaries such as Auguste Rodin.

Finally on October 4, 1911, after nine years of work and exactly five years after the dedication of the Capitol, the Barnard statues were dedicated in front of a crowd of 5,000 people. Noted dignitaries included former Gov.s James A. Beaver and Samuel W. Pennypacker, and Capitol artist Violet Oakley.

Though Barnard intended the statues to appear as “classical nudes,” sentiment in early 20^th century Harrisburg was that the “immodest” areas should be covered. Barnard begrudgingly acceded and fitted the statues with marble sheaths that still cover the statues today.

From the time they were installed, the Barnard statues began to undergo the harmful affects of age, weather, and environment. In 1928, Piccirilli Brothers inspected the statues for damage. They cleaned them in 1935. Throughout the remainder of the 20^th century the statues were subjected to smoke from coal fires, soot from industries, biological growth, yearly freezing and thawing, and at times invasive and detrimental cleaning.

By the 1990s it was necessary to completely remove and conserve the statues one by one to keep microscopic cracks in the marble from destroying them. Currently, the statues undergo yearly summer maintenance which minimizes damagesand ensures that costly long-term restoration will not be necessary. This cleaning ensures that the Barnard groups, one of the Capitol’s most priceless works of art, will remain for years to come.

Oryoki Zendo

November 27, 2012 | by Peter Durantine

Above the Cornerstone Coffeehouse along Market Street in Camp Hill, Andrea Minick Rudolph opens the door of Oryoki Zendo, a warm, peaceful room where she provides integrative mindfulness therapies.

Rudolph, who was ordained an Osho, or priest, in the Zen Buddhist tradition seven years ago, said her practice offers a diverse approach to wellness.

“It brings together everything I love – dealing with the whole person,” she said.

Rudolph uses Zen meditation, mindfulness counseling and life coaching, gentle stretching, toning, and relaxation classes, and DeepZoneTherapy, a whole-body approach she developed. It combines body work, energy balancing, and cognitive behavioral techniques.

Oryoki, or “that which is just enough,” is a mindfulness approach to living and eating, she said. “It is a relationship, a connection with all things, and an awareness of the ways that food, both spiritual and physical, comes to us.”

She will offer mindfulness cooking classes through Cornerstone Coffeehouse’s culinary kitchen and other venues.

Rudolph earned her degree in Buddhist studies and ministry from the Blue Mountain Lotus Seminary. From 1996 to 2009 she was a trainer for the Pennsylvania Department of Health, teaching health, wellness and stress management.

She was founder and director of AMR Wellness Associates in Harrisburg from 1996 to 2011, offering a variety of wellness services. Rudolph has been a certified massage therapist specializing in deep tissue and polarity therapies for 27 years.

Oryoki Zendo, 2133 Market St., Suite 220, Camp Hill, 717-514-3082. For more information: Visit www.oryokizendo.com, the Oryoki Zendo page on Facebook or email [email protected]

Chili for the Chill: As weather cools, cooking heats up.

November 27, 2012 | by Rosemary Ruggieri Baer

Each year when November rolls around, I react the same way: How is it possible that it’s November already? And the holidays are right around the corner! (Oh no!) Nevertheless, I embrace this time of year for a return to warming foods like soups, stews and heavier pasta dishes. The Baer grill that gave us so many problems this summer is tucked away for its winter sleep. At our house there is no standing out in in the rain or snow trying to flip burgers in the dark.

I have always liked to change my cooking with the seasons. And so, at this time of year I look forward to making chili again. My recipe is one I have used for 43 years. It comes from a battered copy of Betty Crocker’s “Cooking for Two” cookbook acquired early in my married life. It might be the first cookbook I ever owned.

Recipes for chili seem to be a dime a dozen. There’s chili made with beans and without, with beef cubes rather than ground beef and, very popular lately, white chicken chili. There are chili cook-offs and chilies so hot they set your throat on fire.

I suspect that my chili would not win any awards from the purist crowd but I love it. It is thick and sweet and light on the cumin, not my favorite spice. It is seasoned with ordinary chili powder by McCormick or Spice Islands, which is a nice blend of ground chili peppers, salt, oregano, garlic and cumin (a little). I substitute ground sirloin for ground chuck, which is too fatty for me, but I avoid ground round, which can be too dry. It should cook for at least an hour and a half or even two hours, if it seems too thin. But it is not an exact science. If you like a thinner chili, cook it for a shorter period of time.

Rosemary and Betty’s Chili

In a heavy Dutch oven, sauté ½ cup each of diced sweet onion and diced celery in a little butter or olive oil. Cook until soft and golden in color.
Add 2 pounds ground sirloin and brown gently until the meat is no longer pink. When the meat is completely brown, drain off all the excess liquid from the pot. Be careful or you will end up with ground beef in the sink.
Return the pot to the stove and add the following:
- 1 cup ketchup
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (I often add more)
- ½ teaspoon salt (add more later, if needed).
- 1 teaspoon vinegar and ½ teaspoon dry mustard
Mix the above ingredients thoroughly with a big wooden spoon.
Then add a very large can of kidney beans (40 oz.): pink, red or dark red. You can use a smaller can if you like, or mix with other varieties such as black or pinto beans
Now for the chili powder: I use a lot. Adjust the spice according to your taste. Prepared chili powder is not very hot, so you can throw in some hot pepper if you wish.
The last ingredient is a 12-ounce can of V-8 juice, an important step. Again mix the chili until well blended and bring to a boil over medium heat.
When the chili begins to boil, lower the heat and bring it to a gentle simmer. Cook at least 1 hour with the lid off but as long as it takes to thicken to your liking. Watch the heat and be careful not to burn. Stir often.

I serve the chili in wide pasta bowls with grated cheddar cheese, sliced scallions and a dab of sour cream on top.

The recipe can be doubled and the leftovers make great tacos. I will likely make white chicken chili at least once this winter, but my heart is with Betty.

A City’s Communal Space: Printed word, community thrive as Midtown Scholar expands.

November 27, 2012 | by Peter Durantine

Like a labyrinth, the cavernous basement of Midtown Scholar Bookstore on 3^rd Street has expanded with an excavated tunnel linking two buildings together and creating a seemingly endless series of rooms, each with wall-to-wall shelves of used books.

Proprietor Eric Papenfuse stands next to the tunnel, which connects the bookstore’s vast history collection with Robinson’s Rare Books and Fine Prints, a low-ceiling room with dark-wood furniture that has the feel of a medieval library.

“Used books are about the thrill of the hunt, the search, and the find,” he said, waving his arm at the seemingly endless rows of history books that include one long row dedicated to just European history.

Papenfuse opened the 10,000-square-foot book store at 1302 3^rd St. nearly four years ago, but this year he took out part of a wall on the first floor to connect with 1300, on the corner of 3^rd and Verbeke, and tunneled through 1302’s basement wall to link with 1300’s basement.

“We took out huge truck loads of dirt,” he said.

He is clearly proud of the tunnel and spent $100,000 renovating 1300 and connecting the two buildings, which adds 5,000 square feet of floor space, most of it lined with bookcases. The expansion has allowed for a large children’s section as well as a classroom for lectures, poetry readings and musical performances.

It has also allowed for two businesses to lease space in 1300 – P & R Bakery, conveniently located next to the children’s section, and Robinson’s Rare Books, which carries volumes more than 430 years old.

The expansion also has enhanced the main bookstore with its café, large stage, outdoor deck with a view of the Capitol dome, and rows upon rows of bookcases laden with nonfiction and fiction.

“The physical layout of the bookstore mirrors the sense of discovery we’re trying to convey to people,” Papenfuse said. “You never know what you’re going to find.”

The expansion also helps to accommodate a good portion of the 50,000 books Papenfuse purchased in August at the auctioning of about two-thirds of Texas author Larry McMurtry’s collection of 450,000 used and rare books.

The auction, called the Last Book Sale, was held in the prairie town of Archer City, Tx., where McMurtry’s four-building store, Booked Up, is located. It also was the setting of McMurtry’s novel, “The Last Picture Show.”

“Archer City is the story of trying to revitalize a town,” Papenfuse told the New York Times. “We’re looking to take Larry’s model and bring it to Pennsylvania.”

Papenfuse and his wife, Catherine, are moving about 30,000 books from the auction into their store, increasing the stock of titles to hunt and discover to about 200,000 books. He has another 800,000 or more books at his 6^th Street warehouse.

Browsers can find almost any subject among the store’s hundreds of shelves, he said. “It is quality, well-chosen books that we hope people will like.”

Under Fire, Undaunted: Harrisburg Hope refuses to be silenced.

November 27, 2012 | by Alan Kennedy-Shaffer

Three hundred-sixty-eight days after I requested permission from the state to lead grassroots community group Harrisburg Hope, the Governor’s Office of Administration and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board suddenly decided that my after-hours volunteering implicated an irrelevant executive order prohibiting partisan activities on state time, and ordered me to immediately “cease all involvement in Harrisburg Hope.” Two days earlier, I and others had criticized Gen. William Lynch, the state-appointed receiver, for refusing to participate in free community forums. A week later, Harrisburg Hope was scheduled to host the forum “Will there be justice for Harrisburg?” As the Patriot-News editorialized, “the state crackdown on Harrisburg Hope has ‘suspicious timing’ written all over it.”

The unanswered question is why the Governor’s Office of Administration – or anyone else – would want to silence Harrisburg Hope, a nonpartisan, grassroots community group that “urges civility as [we] bring together officials for debate and discussion,” as TheBurg put it in January. With a mission of bringing the community together, we have hosted a series of forums to give citizens a chance to question Democratic and Republican officials alike. Panelists have included Mayor Linda Thompson, Sen. Jeffrey Piccola, former receiver David Unkovic, Dauphin County Commissioner Mike Pries, City Controller Dan Miller, and nearly every member of city council. We also hosted the first public debate between senate candidates John McNally and Rob Teplitz.

When questioned by reporters, the Governor’s Office of Administration denied being involved in trying to silence Harrisburg Hope, even though the letter I received Oct. 3 suggested otherwise. Although I immediately appealed and had yet to receive a response at press time, the controversy has me wondering what it is about Harrisburg Hope that has the state in a tizzy. Is it the hard work of our volunteer team led by school board member Destini Hodges and Broad Street Market chair Jennifer Kyung? Is it the passion of the citizens who regularly pack the Midtown Scholar Bookstore to discuss city issues? Or is it the questions about creditor concessions, indictments, and solutions for a city saddled with $330 million in debt from a botched incinerator retrofit?

Because the success of our community is so critical, Harrisburg Hope forums have been seen on every local channel and statewide on PCN, heard nationally on NPR, and mentioned in Business Week. In a larger sense, we will know that the mission has been accomplished when there is no longer a need for Harrisburg Hope. When those we elect engage the community without being invited, when citizens from 2nd street to 22nd street, from Woodbine to Walnut, and from Hall Manor to City Hall are heard, and when leaders welcome debate, only then will Harrisburg Hope have fully engaged our community in the way it was designed to do.

Following Mr. Unkovic’s abrupt resignation, I wrote here that “what Harrisburg needs most right now is a commitment to civility and community empowerment.” Harrisburg Hope encourages citizens to ask the tough questions, demand accountability, and put aside our differences long enough to find common ground so that our city would have a fighting chance of achieving fiscal stability and good government. Harrisburg faces incredible challenges but also has enormous potential. We live and work in the hub of a region that is growing rapidly. From the ashes of Harrisburg’s “house of cards” must come the foundation for a brighter future.

Harrisburg Hope remains committed to encouraging civility and empowering our community. We will not allow actions by the state to prevent Harrisburg Hope from helping citizens ask the tough questions. We refuse to give up on Harrisburg. As Gen. Lynch recently said at a State of the City event, getting this river city out of debt is going to take concessions from creditors, sacrifices from residents, and a serious willingness to come together. Bickering and factionalism has cost Harrisburg good will and millions of dollars in interest. As Harrisburg moves beyond bankruptcy to regionalization and rebirth, there will be opportunities to open government to more voices, dialogue, and accountability than our community has ever known. Perhaps that is the real reason why some political leaders want to silence Harrisburg Hope.

Alan Kennedy-Shaffer is president of Harrisburg Hope.

Books, with a Local Twist: Midstate authors tackle politics, scandal, relationships.

November 27, 2012 | by Peter Durantine

On The Front Lines of Pennsylvania Politics: Twenty-Five Years of Keystone Reporting

By John M. Baer

The History Press, 156 pp. $19.99 (softcover)

In 2002, the National Journal described John Baer, a Philadelphia Daily News columnist based in Harrisburg, as having “the ability to take the skin off a politician without making it hurt too much.” Readers of his experience as a newspaperman and, for a brief period, campaign press secretary, will find just how exceptional an observer he is of the political class, the voters and the media. No one has been spared his honest examination, not even himself; he writes humorously and candidly about his own professional fumbles as well as those of elected officials and journalists. On the campaign trail in 1986, as press secretary to governor hopeful William Scranton III, Baer recalled the power of the name: “Once, before a taped TV interview in Altoona, a local reporter asked him off-camera where he was from. “Scranton,” he said. “Oh,” she said, “just like your name.” As a journalist who covered former Gov. Dick Thornburgh and the late U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, he provides this assessment: “Thornburgh is one of the steadiest, stablest politicians I’ve met; Specter one of the most entertaining.” Baer has fused politics and journalism into an enjoyable read of Pennsylvania’s recent history. It’s funny, serious and particularly sobering as he shows how needed political reforms could make this a far better state for everyone.

The Stories of Andrea T.A.H. Rossi

By E.M. Albano

Authorhouse, 424 pp. $33.50 (softcover)

Like William Faulkner and his fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Harrisburg writer Eugenio Albano has created a somewhat semi-autobiographical group of characters who live, love and struggle in their relationships and lives. His five novels (among them, “Bashful Lucy,” “The Letters of Peter Mitchell,” and “Martin’s Story”) have a breadth and depth to them that peels back the ordinary to find the unordinary. His latest work, “Letters to Andrea,” is the sequel to his first novel, “The Widow’s Web,” the story of a young woman, Andrea, widowed three times by uncommon circumstances and in that process inherits wealth and three last names. In the sequel, Andrea decided to leave her comfortable New Jersey home for India to help victims of human trafficking and social intolerance, where she encounters danger and learns about herself. Albano has chosen to publish a revised version of the original (he wanted to strengthen the writing) and its sequel in a single edition.

Kids for Cash: Two Judges, Thousands of Children, and a $2.6 Million Kickback Scheme

By William Ecenbarger

The New Press, 304 pp. $26.95 (hardcover)

Thirteen-year-old Matthew, at 82 pounds, small compared to other boys his age, was stepping out of an elevator in the Luzerne County Courthouse after serving 48 days in a lock-up for juveniles, PA Child Care, for a hearing on whether he should be released for the crime of throwing a steak in a heated argument at his mother’s 210-pound boyfriend. “Look at that little kid!” a woman exclaimed in amazement. “What could he have done?” Nothing, but for Judges Mark A. Ciavarella and Michael T. Conahan, that was enough to get sent to PA Child Care, a private, for-profit juvenile detention center in northeast Pennsylvania. The judges sent thousands of children there for non-criminal behaviors because they were getting millions of dollars in kickbacks. In “Kids for Cash,” William Ecenbarger writes a compelling book about the breakdown in Pennsylvania’s judicial system and the money that corrupts it mercilessly, and our society’s “lock ‘em up” mentality in which prosecutors, public defenders and school officials watched silently as thousands of children get shackled and lose fundamental constitutional rights.

Luck of the Irish Pub: The Scotts find good fortune at McGrath’s.

November 24, 2012 | by Lawrance Binda

Of all the things that Tom Scott has learned owning McGrath’s Pub, this lesson may be the most pertinent: you never know how life will turn out.

Tom and his wife Amy had been running the upscale steakhouse, Scott’s when the narrow building two doors down Locust Street in downtown Harrisburg came up for sale.

Wanting to own a place–instead of just renting like at Scott’s–they bought it and opened McGrath’s, named for Tom’s mother. It changed their lives.

“It was a success from the minute we opened,” said Tom. “It just clicked.”

McGrath’s recently celebrated 10 years in business with a block party outside the restaurant. The party and pig roast was a small way to say “thanks” to the people who, each day, crowd the bar and pack the tables, eager to tuck into fare a step above other Irish pubs, washed down with a constantly changing selection of American microbrews and European beers on tap.

Tom and Amy understand their good fortune.

Their first restaurant, Scott’s, had been a struggle since the moment the couple opened it in 1992. They persevered, but each day was difficult, said Tom.

McGrath’s was exactly the opposite.

The couple fixed up what had been the Pub at 202 Locust and created a menu very distinct from Scott’s–casual, inexpensive. But, otherwise, they pretty much just unlocked the doors and declared themselves open for business.

“Right from the beginning, this was easier than Scott’s ever was,” said Amy.

A year after opening, they sold Scott’s, which the new owners closed for good several years back.

McGrath’s is a favorite haunt of Brian Polensky, who, living downtown, has many other options within easy walking distance.

He often chooses McGrath’s for its simple, but proven formula: good food and good beer in a relaxed atmosphere.

He especially enjoys the upstairs space, which features several sofas where he and his friends can gather and chat as if they’re sitting in someone’s living room.

“I really like the multi-level concept,” said Polensky. “First, there’s a bar area in the front. Then you can dine in the back in a separate area or go to the second floor just to relax.”

For Tom and Amy, McGrath’s has worked well for several reasons. Yes, the pub has been a business success, but it also has given them the time and space they needed to raise their now-grown children.

In addition, it has taught them that, in business, sometimes the magic happens–and sometimes it doesn’t.

For instance, trying to build upon their success, Tom and Amy opened McGrath’s Emerald Grille at the Capital City Mall. Despite good reviews, the venture didn’t pan out, and the restaurant closed after a couple of years.

Tom thinks that a mall location probably wasn’t the right fit for what is, at its heart, a neighborhood pub.

Indeed, it’s difficult to re-create the warm, authentic atmosphere of McGrath’s cozy space in a Civil War-era building in downtown Harrisburg.

In addition to the high-quality food and drink, the look and feel and sounds and smells of McGrath’s are a large part of its appeal, drawing in a large crowd of regulars, whom Tom and Amy have gotten to know as friends over the years.

“At the end of the day, a business is about the relationships you build,” said Amy. “For me, that’s been the nicest thing.”

McGrath’s Pub, 202 Locust St., Harrisburg; Open Monday to Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Saturday, noon to 2 a.m.; closed Sunday; 717-232-9914; www.mcgrathspub.net.

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like