Behind the Plate: Highly touted Passerine stays close to the farm

April 29, 2025 | by Deborah Lynch

Passerine

Foodies hungry for exquisite cuisine tend to go to New York and Philadelphia. Often, Michelin star and James Beard-nominated restaurants there tout farm-to-table delicacies on expensive prix fixe menus.

Irony alert—the farms that supply those restaurants aren’t very close to their tables. Yet, in the produce-rich rolling acres of Lancaster County, farm-to-table restaurants are not so common. Passerine opened in April 2023 to fill that void. Located a short walk from Lancaster’s Central Market, Passerine exploits the geographic bounty with creative, shareable dishes that flaunt freshness.

Owner Kyle Sollenberger’s original vision was for a downtown bar in a historic building, but it didn’t pan out. Then, 114 N. Prince St., another historic spot, became available, and from the ashes of one setback, Sollenberger teamed with Dr. Jonathan Shirey to create Passerine, where he could snag locally grown food before it headed to the big cities.

Seventeen months later, this downtown Lancaster gem landed on the 2024 Restaurant List, the New York Times food writers’ top 50 favorite U.S. restaurants. It was one of three in Pennsylvania to make the list, joined by Little Walter’s in Philadelphia and Fet-Fisk in Pittsburgh. Not too shabby.

Music to the Taste Buds

Passerine was already turning heads before Times writer Nikita Richardson started randomly following it on Instagram and decided to pop in for a fortuitous taste. By the time she arrived, the restaurant had a new executive chef, Kevin Venbrux, who started in February 2024 after more than three years at Blackworth in Lititz.

Venbrux’s career in food started with his first job as a grocery store bag boy, but his love for music steered him to school for audio engineering. He was working as a tour manager for Lancaster alternative metal bands while working in local restaurants when not on the road. Enter COVID. The restaurant industry rebounded more quickly than music tours, and a full-time chef was born.

Although he’s still connected to the music world, Venbrux sees his role as an executive chef as similar to a tour manager—both want happy guests at the end. “I make sure everything is running smoothly, have a million problems that need fixed, fix them as smoothly as possible, make sure guests are served the experience they are expecting and are happy when they leave.”

Passerine is a restaurant with an ethos of meaningful food and beverage, sustainable systems, regional focus, intentional education and exceptional experience—and Venbrux puts all parts of that into his repertoire of creativity. It’s located in a historic building with a small kitchen that has one six-burner stove and a little char grill. That means prep-heavy mornings with fresh ingredients used that day. Venbrux praises his team as being one of the best, and it’s evident with a wait staff that knows everything about the dishes on the menu and a beverage director who helps with pairings.

Local sourcing is key. In addition to trips to Central Market, Venbrux has developed relationships with several local farmers (Brogue Hydroponics and Fields Edge Farm). Some commodity staples come from a larger company with a local farm focus.

The day the New York Times list dropped, Passerine was closed.

“We were all at home, and I had just had my little one. I was at home with a newborn. It was a huge surprise,” Venbrux said, adding that they knew a writer had been in, but thought they might just see an Instagram post after the visit. It was so much better.

Reservations immediately maxed out. “It was kind of then, game on. I told my team—this is an amazing team—stay true to who we are. Keep doing good, tasty food,” Venbrux said. “It was a fun ride. The first couple of weeks were intense in a great way. It’s really made us better.”

In the Kitchen

Chef’s Bites: Chef Kevin worked at the Press Room, then the Plough and The Exchange at the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square, then at Blackworth Live Fire Grill in Lititz.

Favorite Dish: Beet Tartar, with beets replacing beef—and chips and a sauce. Chef steams the beets in a pickle brine to give them more flavor. The cream is a basil, dill shishito crème, and the chips are house made. “[We] take a very simple dish with a simple vegetable and put a lot of love into it on the back end. Then, when we serve it, it’s beets in a bowl with chips, but it’s very tasty.” Other popular dishes: a crepe cake that changes seasonally; flame-grilled carrots smothered in honey sitting on a creamy bed of shallot, sumac and fennel soubis; pastas like pappardelle and lamb ragu; and unique sorbets like one flavored with pine tips.

Pro Tips: Ask the service team for recommendations. The menu is constantly evolving. Allow them to curate your experience. Sign up for emails to learn about their special dining events. Ask about the “Let Us Cook for You” experience, a tasting menu option that’s planned.

If You Go: Passerine is located at 114 Prince St., Lancaster. Reservations, available on Resy, often go quickly. Open Monday, Thursday and Friday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit www.cafepasserine.com.

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Bring on Spring: Rosemary cooks the perfect pasta dish for the young season

April 29, 2025 | by Rosemary Ruggieri Baer

Many years ago, when our sons were young, we took them on lots of “day trips.”

During one of our outings to Philadelphia, our plans included a quick dinner before heading to a 76ers basketball game. The chosen restaurant was in bustling South Philly, home to quite a few Italian bistros and trattorias. One of them, Ralph’s, on South 9th Street, claims to have opened in 1900 and to be the oldest Italian restaurant in America. We enjoyed it. It’s still there.

On another Philly visit, my husband found a tiny place on South Street called “Primavera.” A little research tells me that it is “permanently closed,” but I have always remembered our dinner there.

I ordered their signature dish, “Pasta Primavera,” and I delighted in every bite. It was a creamy and rich pasta loaded with spring vegetables like peas, spinach and asparagus. I’ve ordered it on several occasions over the years, but it seems to have disappeared from the menus of many Italian places in recent years.

And when the dish is found, I think pasta primavera has been “Americanized” somewhat, suffering the same fate as fettuccine Alfredo and pasta carbonara.

So, I dug into my trove of Italian cookbooks and found several versions of pasta with vegetables, which Italians call “Pasta all’ Ortolana.” They are all different but with the emphasis on spring vegetables rather than the summer stars—zucchini, eggplant and fresh tomatoes. And most do not call for a creamy sauce.

The pasta I chose to try originates in Grosseto, a region in central Tuscany. It is a wonderful way to celebrate spring before you begin meals on the grill. And it is certainly healthy—the epitome of the Mediterranean diet. It adapts beautifully to any spring vegetable substitution you might make. (Note: I eliminated the fava/lima beans and used canned artichokes rather than bothering with fresh.)

Rigatoni all’ Ortolana

Ingredients

4 canned artichokes (non marinated), sliced
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small sweet onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
3 or 4 asparagus spears, tough ends removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup fresh spinach leaves, tough center stem removed, coarsely chopped
½ cup petite peas (frozen is fine)
¼ cup water
1 1/3 cups drained, canned plum tomatoes
1 pound rigatoni pasta (cooked al dente)
Grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

Warm the olive oil over medium heat.
Add the onion and carrot and sauté until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the artichoke slices, asparagus, spinach, peas, water, salt and pepper.
Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer the vegetable mixture uncovered and stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon, and simmer uncovered until the whole vegetable mixture has thickened.
In a large pasta serving bowl, spoon 1/3 of the sauce, add the pasta, and top with the remaining sauce.
Grate fresh Parmesan cheese (liberally) over the whole dish and toss lightly.
Enjoy!

Sometimes, the food we prepare reflects where we are in our life. A bubbling stew or soup on the stove can comfort us on a cold, dark winter day. Some hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill can cheer us as we celebrate a blue-sky 4th of July. And a dish like pasta primavera can give us the promise of new beginnings and of sunshine in the days ahead.

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Open Heart & Home: During Foster Care Awareness Month, local families and organizations share importance, challenges of taking in a child

April 29, 2025 | by Susan Ryder

Heidi & Isaac Tucker

Amy Broker has fostered six children and adopted two with complicated medical needs.

Fostering children can be extremely unpredictable, but regardless, Broker, of Lewisberry, always follows one rule.

“They need to be treated as your own,” she said. “So, when they’re here, whether they’re going to stay permanently or not, they need to be treated as though they are staying here permanently.”

Broker said that people often comment that they would get too attached.

“You need to get attached […] in order to give them what they need,” she said.

Many local foster parents commit to these children, who may only be in their lives for a day or a year.

May is National Foster Care Awareness Month, marking an opportunity to highlight the importance of caring for children in the community, as well as the challenges and supports that exist to help kids and families.

Tara Koch, program manager at Harrisburg foster care agency KidsPeace, said that she’s amazed by the many dedicated foster families.

“I am in awe over the cases that I’ve witnessed through the years,” Koch said. “It’s really a demonstration of human spirit to just take these kids in and love them with their whole heart and want the best for them.”

The love that foster parents give also comes with all the responsibilities of parenting—and then some. Children have doctors’ appointments, caseworker visits, court dates and therapy appointments that the foster parent is responsible for getting them to. This is hard work that requires flexibility.

“You are signing up to pour love into someone and get very little back, but hope you did some good,” said Heidi Tucker, a local foster parent.

Advocating & Adapting

Foster families have little decision-making power. Broker noted that you can advocate for a child but decisions about education, medical care and other day-to-day events in the life of a child are not up to the foster parent. Children can enter a home quickly when foster parents get a call for an emergency placement, or they can be considered for a home and prepare for a child to come, and then the child doesn’t arrive. If a child is placed in their home, there’s no guarantee for how long.

“You don’t know what every day or month could bring,” Broker said. “You could get a call, ‘It’s happening; they’re going to be reunified; they’re leaving tomorrow.’”

And reunification is the goal of foster care.

“There are so many studies on familial bonds,” Koch said. “If there’s any chance that we can keep a family unit together, that is always the number one goal.”

Family circumstances vary tremendously. Not all cases are clear cut, and, when a parent’s rights are terminated, that represents a loss for the child.

“It’s not always a black-and-white situation,” Koch said. “When you terminate a parent’s rights, it never comes too lightly.”

Foster care is a complicated environment with lots of moving parts, courts, therapists, doctors, school officials, social workers, biological parents and foster parents. Discerning what the best outcome is for a child, with all these voices, can be very difficult. That’s where a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) enters.

“CASAs can talk to the medical professionals, education professionals, coaches and anyone in this child’s life—bio moms, foster moms, aunts, uncles, neighbors, whoever is in this child’s life—to paint that great picture to see where is the best place for this child to be,” said Kim St. Clair, Dauphin County CASA’s program supervisor.

Each advocate is assigned to one child, providing a consistent presence in a world with little consistency, assuring that foster children don’t get lost in the complexity of their situation.

Need Love

For those who decide to take it one step further and become foster parents, there are some things to consider.

“You have to know your limits,” Tucker said.

It’s OK to be specific about what you are capable of handling as a foster parent.

“By the time we are done working with a family, we feel like we know them pretty well, and we can kind of assess what would be a good fit for them, for a child coming into their home,” Koch said.

While the experience isn’t easy, Broker said that fostering has positively impacted her family, as well. She can tell how the children the family has fostered have touched her daughters’ hearts.

“It has really changed them and their hearts, because both girls express a desire to do it [foster care] as well,” Broker said.

Regardless of how children find themselves in foster care, or how long they’ve been in the system, one thing remains clear.

“These kids need people to love them,” Tucker said.

Learn more about Kid’s Peace at www.fostercare.com/harrisburg.

Find out more about Dauphin County CASA at www.dauphincountycasa.org.

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Adventure Together: Take a family trip to small-town Millersburg for history, beauty and hands-on fun

April 29, 2025 | by Natalie diSanto

An archaeology dig at Fort Halifax, photo courtesy of Friends of Fort Halifax.

Over the mountain and through the woods, to grandmother’s house we go.

This nursery rhyme was spot-on for my childhood, when my mom used to pack my sister and me in her minivan and drive the winding road over Peter’s Mountain, through the forests of upper Dauphin, to visit our grandparents in the sleepy town of Millersburg. I am beyond lucky to still take that same ride, this time with my own child in tow, over the mountain and through the woods, to visit 95-year-old great-grandpa.

Digging In

During our most recent trip to Millersburg, we stopped to explore Fort Halifax, located along PA Route 147. Fort Halifax was built in 1756 as a shelter for supply trains running along the Susquehanna River, traveling from Fort Hunter in Harrisburg to Fort Augusta in Sunbury. The original fort was dismantled just a year later. Ask your kiddo what they think life was like 250 years ago. Where did early settlers store their iPads?

Because of its history, the park is a hot spot for archaeology digs, where scientists unearth facts about the fort’s original footprint. Archaeologists work in the dirt, digging to uncover objects that help them study history and learn more about past human culture and society. Archaeologists at Fort Halifax have discovered some exciting stuff, like spearheads, 18th-century buttons and musket balls. Observers and volunteers are welcome at Fort Halifax’s archaeology digs. Just check in with coordinators if you plan to volunteer. Keep an eye on the website for upcoming events.

Similar to Harrisburg’s Fort Hunter, there are two sides to Fort Halifax Park, divided by the road. We embarked on an adventure on the wooded side of the park, along Sycamore Allee. These 361 behemoth trees are part of the National Register of Historic Places, being the largest strand planted to commemorate veterans of World War I, per request of President Warren Harding, that still stand on the East Coast today. Walking beneath the century-old canopy was humbling, and we enjoyed imagining the changes that the trees may have witnessed during their lives. A fun question to ponder is, “What did a tree think of the first automobile that raced by it?”

Ferry Fun

Finished with our mid-trip adventure, we continued toward Millersburg, an adorable and picturesque river town. In the town square, there’s a white gazebo around which the community hosts festivals and gatherings. The upcoming Cherry Blossom Festival, May 3 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., will have art and food vendors with live performances.

Across from the square is an ice-cream shop (yay!) and restaurants ranging from the historic Wooden Nickel to fresh eats by Peace of Mind Café. Mark your calendars to check out the colorful, vintage lights hung around Millersburg in December.

Millersburg is home to the last remaining ferry boat on the Susquehanna River, which has been in operation for over 200 years. For an extensive history, check out TheBurg’s article on the Millersburg Ferry in the August 2017 issue through our online archives. Open from May through October, the ferry churns slow, peaceful trips from Millersburg to the opposite bank of the Susquehanna in Perry County.

Fun fact: These old boats can transport vehicles, which means you can drive your car onto it, an act that has the potential to blow a kid’s mind (I saw it happen). The ferry hosts events too, with a “Learn to Paint a Ferry Boat” class in May and a kid’s pirate event in June. Their Facebook page has information on schedules, events and tickets.

Learn, Create

With so much history, peace and quiet, we needed a kid-centered break, so we popped into the Lykens Valley Children’s Museum located in nearby Elizabethville. The museum is a nonprofit, interactive play and hands-on learning space where children can become creative, curious, inventive and ready for the ever-changing world. The museum has rotating exhibits, currently displaying “3-2-1 Blast-Off to Learning Space Exploration” through the end of June. A “Let’s Explore Dinosaurs” exhibit will be at the museum from July through September.

On Sunday, May 18, the museum hosts an event called “Imaginariums: Plant, Play & Create” for youth ages 6 or older. Blending STEAM learning, nature exploration and creativity, kids can design their own unique mini garden using flowerpots, painted rocks, figurines and real plants. The “imaginariums” will be living masterpieces for children to care for and be amazed by all summer long. Ticket information is available on the museum’s Facebook page.

Our favorite way to end a day in “The Valley” (as the locals call it) is to pick up a pizza from Angelo’s to enjoy at a picnic table on the river walk. There’s almost nothing better than watching the sunset over the Susquehanna with your family in small town Pennsylvania.

Fort Halifax is located at 570 N. River Rd., SR 147, Halifax. For more information, visit www.forthalifaxpark.org.

The Millersburg Ferry is located on River Street in Millersburg. For more information, visit www.millersburgferry.org.

Lykens Valley Children’s Museum is located at 33 S. Market St., Elizabethville. For more information, visit www.lykensvalleychildrensmuseum.org.

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Reclaiming the Narrative: Sankofa and Open Stage present “The Colored Museum”

April 29, 2025 | by Stuart Landon

Cast of “The Colored Museum”

When “The Colored Museum” premiered at Crossroads Theatre Company in 1986, playwright George C. Wolfe described it as “an exorcism and a party.”

Nearly 40 years later, his biting satire still lands with razor-sharp clarity—both celebrating and interrogating the complexities of Black American identity. This summer, Sankofa African American Theatre Company and Open Stage bring Wolfe’s seminal work to Harrisburg audiences in a bold co-production running May 31 through June 19.

Co-directed by Sankofa’s executive artistic director and founder Sharia Benn and collaborator Johntrae Williams, “The Colored Museum” unfolds as a series of 11 theatrical “exhibits,” each one a stylized sketch that deconstructs a stereotype or cultural icon. From a flamboyant lounge singer lamenting the limits of Black respectability to a war-weary soldier grappling with generational trauma, each vignette becomes its own mini-revolution, challenging the viewer to confront the often-unseen emotional costs of survival.

“This play doesn’t pull any punches,” Benn said. “It’s bold. It’s raw. It’s healing. It’s soul work. And it’s asking us—really asking us—to reckon with where we’ve been, where we are, and where we have the power to go.”

Benn has long led Sankofa in amplifying Black voices through theatre. Her collaboration with Open Stage on “The Colored Museum” builds on a shared commitment to socially conscious programming and marks the companies’ fifth major co-production. Previous collaborations include “Akeelah and the Bee,” “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf,” “Crowns” and “Anne and Emmett.”

The cast of “The Colored Museum” features Melinda Anderson, Sharia Benn, Weimy Montero Candelario, Marcus McGhee, Amandine Pope, Te’Sean Richardson, Johntrae Williams and Journie Williams. Lighting is designed by Tristan Stasiulis, with prop design by Becky Arney. Jess Ross serves as stage manager, supported by Jade Jarrell. Music is helmed by Brian McGrady and Kalen Myers, in collaboration with co-director Williams. Together, they bring to life Wolfe’s kaleidoscopic tapestry of characters, challenging the reductive roles often assigned to Black bodies in American life—whether on stage, in history books, or in society at large.

“Wolfe wrote this almost 40 years ago, and it still hits like it was written yesterday,” Benn said. “Because the questions are still here—about identity, about erasure, about the cost of being seen and unseen in this country. These aren’t stories of the past. They’re stories of now. And theatre gives us a sacred space to hold that truth, to feel it, to name it.”

At the heart of “The Colored Museum” is contradiction: sorrow and satire, burden and joy, reverence and rebellion. The result is a production that is as intellectually rigorous as it is emotionally disarming.

“Yes, we want you to laugh—but also to feel, to think, to sit in what’s uncomfortable,” Benn said. “That’s what powerful art does: it opens you up. Wolfe knew theatre could be a museum, but not one that keeps culture behind glass. It’s a place to reclaim the story—to tell it in our own voice.”

“The Colored Museum” runs May 31 to June 19 at Open Stage, 25 N. Court St., Harrisburg. For tickets and more information, visit www.openstagehbg.com.

Stuart Landon serves as producing artistic director of Open Stage.

UPCOMING EVENTS

At Gamut Theatre
www.gamuttheatre.org
717-238-4111

The Popcorn Hat Players
“Wonder Tales from Around the World”
May 7 to 24

Gamut’s Harrisburg Shakespeare Company
The 32nd Annual Free Shakespeare in the Park
“Love’s Labour’s Lost”
May 30 to June 14
Reservoir Park

At Open Stage
www.openstagehbg.com
717-232-6736

EFF Live!
Friday, May 2 at 7:30 p.m.
A night of outrageous, comedic erotic fan fiction readings

Black NewsBeat
Dr. Kimeka Campbell leads conversations on culture and activism.
Wednesdays, May 14 & 28 at 7 p.m.

“The Colored Museum”
A satirical and provocative exploration of Black American identity
In partnership with Sankofa African American Theatre Company
May 31 to June 19

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Musical Notes: Mega May

April 29, 2025 | by Skye Leppo

This month’s packed with a slew of fun shows you’ll want to catch. I’ve highlighted all the reasons you should see MJ Lenderman below, but I cannot emphasize enough how big of a get this is. I really believe Lenderman could be considered one of the greats someday.

I’d also be remiss not to mention the success of homegrown psych rocker Hunter Root from Lancaster, who’s headlining The Abbey Bar on May 3, kicking off a 13-city tour. Root’s career has really blown up in the best way over the past two years, and this may be your shot to catch Root now so you can say, “I saw him when…” And, if your venue or friends have a show coming up that should be on our radar, drop me a line at [email protected].

LIVING LEGEND

5/9, MC Lyte, XL Live

Stop. Look. Listen. MC Lyte will forever be known as the first female rapper to release a solo, full-length album with 1988’s “Lyte as a Rock,” kicking off a career full of hits before her equally impressive careers in film and in advocacy for artists, serving as a past president and trustee of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Recording Academy (which you might know more familiarly as the Grammy organization). Lyte’s bringing her “Reflections of Lyte” tour to the stage at XL Live this month for what’s sure to be an incredible night.

STRUMMING ALONG

5/14, WXPN Welcomes MJ Lenderman and The Wind, XL Live

MJ Lenderman’s 2024 solo album, “Manning Fireworks,” stopped me dead in my tracks when I gave the whole thing a thorough listen. I’ve heard him play in the band Wednesday (also v. good), but his solo work is where Lenderman really shines. He’s young, yet his honest songwriting and unexpected melodies, combined with his talents on many instruments you’ll hear on the record, make this an artist I’ve been recommending to friends since I heard him last summer. He’s just released an excellent video for the song, “Wristwatch,” and I can all but guarantee you’ll have the hook for “She’s Leaving You” stuck in your head for days after your first listen. This show should be at the top of your list.

LET’S DANCE

5/25, WXPN Welcomes Future Islands, XL Live

I remember where I was in 2014 when frontman Sam Herring’s viral dance moves, which he joyously shows off for “Seasons (Waiting on You),” were all over indie music meme pages, getting re-blogged on tumblr and Instagram when those were still words young people used. Future Islands is, in short, a hell of a good time. I’ve been to see them in Philly as often as I can and am thrilled that they’re coming to me for a change. Other than the aforementioned “Seasons,” check out tracks “Run,” “A Dream of You and Me,” and “King of Sweden.”

HONORABLE MENTIONS

5/3, Hunter Root, The Abbey Bar

5/4, Saint Jhn with special guest Honey Bxby, XL Live

5/10, Nester & Side of Yams, The Abbey Bar

5/10, Filter, H*MAC

5/16, WXPN Welcomes Tanjo & Crow w/Virginia Masland, Strawberry Square

5/16, Tristin Lynee, Broad Street Market

5/17, Splintered Sunlight, XL Live

5/18, Erica Lyn Everest Presents “Women in Music,” West Shore Theatre

5/24-5/26, various artists at Artsfest, Riverfront Park

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All the Buzz: Camp Hill and Dickinson College have decided to “bee” part of the solution

April 29, 2025 | by Deborah Lynch

Photos byDah Loh.Photos courtesy of Dickinson College.

A swarm of bees usually creates an equal and opposite reaction—a swarm of people running in an opposite direction.

In Camp Hill Borough, though, residents are embracing their bees. In 2022, they received the borough’s blessing to increase habitats for their pollinating neighbors.

It’s a vital mission. Pesticide and herbicide use, human development and climate change all contribute to the loss of native pollinators, which, in turn, affects area wildlife and ecosystems.

In Camp Hill, a committee worked with Borough Manager Sara Gibson and the staff of Bee City USA, a national organization, to develop an application to earn “Bee City USA” status.

In Camp Hill, a Bee City USA committee oversees pollinator conservation and offers a minimum of one pollinator or habitat project each year. Members work to modify the community’s integrated pest management plan. They put signage around the community, create a web presence, report annually on their activities and accomplishments, and schedule regular public meetings.

Camp Hill is one of just six Pennsylvania communities to have earned this designation (nationally, Bee City USA has 228 affiliates). Its college program, Bee Campus USA, has seven campus affiliates in Pennsylvania, including at Dickinson College in Carlisle.

Phyllis Stiles, who founded Bee City, initially focused on honeybees after learning of colony collapse disorder but expanded it after realizing she was missing the big picture—that many native bees are more at risk of extinction than honeybees. This program is not about putting in hives; it’s about native plants and landscapes for native bees to nest in.

“If we can fill a niche and support these pollinators, in turn, insect life in general will help support everything further up the food chain, and then we’ve started to rebuild our wildlife and our habitat for wildlife,” said Adele Philippides, one of Camp Hill’s Bee City USA committee members.

Camp Hill’s programs include collaborating with a Girl Scout on her bronze project to create a pollinator garden, organizing a Camp Hill Bee City Garden Tour set for June 1 and planning a plant swap in the fall.

Bee Campus

At Dickinson College, a campus community called The Hive helps members learn about sustainability through direct experience, which includes a beekeeping program, honey harvesting, native pollinators and gardens, and value-added products like soaps and lip balms made with herbs from the gardens and the byproducts of bees.

Lindsey Lyons, the director of sustainability learning at Dickinson, notes that The Hive is just one part of the college’s commitment to sustainability, which also includes projects around biking, waste minimization, a free store, data analysis, communications and peer education.

“I think it’s been wonderful,” Lyons said. “I’ve made tons of connections with people in Carlisle through these programs that target native pollinators and beekeeping. With our pollinator gardens, community volunteers are physically coming to us. They’re on campus and in the classroom. It gives them a sense of good work.”

A student intern creates Dickinson’s annual report required by Bee Campus USA, which includes evidence that the campus is enhancing pollinator habitats, educational components and signage. The student who compiled the data for the 2024 report, Ming Robinson, grew up in Manhattan, where gardening opportunities were not as abundant. She has become so enamored of her work in the gardens and The Hive that she has been training to become a master gardener herself.

“The first time I ever mowed the lawn was for the bees,” said Robinson, an environmental science major, who added that she started to learn about gardening from the master gardeners who come to campus. “These people are so nice. They really just care to provide an educational opportunity for students, staff, educators and community.”

Diversity & Abundance

Benefits to a community of gaining Bee City USA status include access to consultants within the national organization who will guide them on “Integrated Pest Management Plan” guidelines and support, including a toolkit for volunteers and city staff. It also offers “the chance to celebrate and brag about the good work they’re doing,” said Laura Rost, the national coordinator for Bee City USA.

While a true measure of the success of pollinator programs is not easily measurable—say like species that can be tagged—Rost said that “if you plant pollinator habitats, they will come.”

“We see anecdotal evidence that people are seeing more species diversity and more abundance when they install pollinator habitats and reduce pesticide,” she said.

Owned by the Xerces Society, Bee City partners with universities and other nonprofits to share data to use for effective conservation work, Rost said. Xerces cites 1.7 million people reached through conservation outreach since 2019 and 1.76 million people engaged in pollinator conservation as a result of the Bee City and Campus programs.

Back in Camp Hill, the borough also recently received a “Bird Town Pennsylvania” designation in a similar effort to create a more sustainable environment for our avian friends. So now, it’s embraced both the birds and the bees.

The Camp Hill Bee City USA Garden Tour will be held on June 1 from 1 to 4 p.m. For more information on the program and events, visit www.camphillborough and search for “Bee City.”

For more information on Dickinson College’s program, “The Hive,” visit www.dickinson.edu/thehive.

To learn about the Bee City USA programs, visit www.beecityusa.org.

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Rescue & Hope: Literature becomes reality in “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life”

April 29, 2025 | by Gabriel Brown

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

The debut feature film from French writer-director Laura Piani, “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life” (“Jane Austen a gâché ma vie”) follows a clumsy Parisian bookseller named Agathe who dreams of being a successful writer (Camille Rutherford, a critical darling of “Anatomy of a Fall”).

Something of a Jane Austen superfan, Agathe sees herself in Anne Elliot, the main character of Austen’s “Persuasion,” in that she’s missed her chance at love in life.

Her best friend, lovable, blunt and messy Felix (Pablo Pauly) gets her into the Jane Austen Writers’ Residency in England, and, as she’s leaving, they share a spontaneous reciprocal kiss, contributing to a spiral of self-questioning and a nasty case of writer’s block once Agathe reaches the residency.

Arriving in England, Agathe meets Oliver (Charlie Anson, who shares a demeanor to Hugh Grant in this film, an Austen veteran himself from 1995’s “Sense and Sensibility”), who lives at the residency as a great nephew of Jane Austen, and he sparks something new in her. She finds him “unbearable and arrogant” but—undeniably and at first subconsciously—charming. Suddenly, Agathe finds herself in a love triangle between two very different men who signify very different parts of her life—home, comfort and safety and the realization of dreams and creativity.

“Jane Austen Wrecked My Life” operates in what feels like a perfect middle ground between the prescient and timeless novels of Jane Austen and what I would argue to be their modern counterparts, the romances of filmmakers like Nora Ephron and Nancy Meyers. As much as it creates challenging character dilemmas for its lead, as Austen would, Piani also uses modern filmmaking language to step into Agathe’s daydreams, treading familiar ground that feels like the daydreams that we all culturally share in romantic classics like Austen’s. The metacommentary that celebrates writing and art is the cherry on top.

Whereas Agathe views writing as a dream and a fantasy and a ticket to success, her father maintains that writing is a way out of chaos—so not to go crazy. And this shift in her understanding of the process of writing is a rich shift in the attitude of the film and the attitude of Agathe towards her environment. Her view of her surroundings shifts from wishing to create to escape loneliness to wishing to create in the heart of her chaotic life, as rescue and as hope.

“Literature is like an ambulance, speeding through the night to save someone,” says Agathe.

My mother is going to love this movie. And I can’t wait to share it with her.

“Jane Austen Wrecked My Life” opens this month at Midtown Cinema.

Midtown Cinema is located at 250 Reily St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.midtowncinema.com.

May Events At Midtown Cinema

Potential First Run Films

“A Big Bold Beautiful Journey”
“Friendship”
“Hurry Up Tomorrow”
“Hot Milk”
“The Phoenician Scheme”

Late Night Frights

“The Babadook” (2014)
Friday, May 2 at 9:30 p.m.

“Hereditary” (2018)
Friday, May 23 at 9:30 p.m.

May the 4th Be with You Weekend

“Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope” (1977)
Friday, May 2 at 9:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 4 at 7:15 p.m.

Saturday Morning Cartoons

“The Secret of Kells” (2009)
Saturday, May 3 at 11 a.m.

“The Secret of NIMH” (1982)
Saturday, May 17 at 11 a.m.

“The Triplets of Belleville” (2003)
Saturday, May 31 at 11 a.m.

NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania

“Inside Out” (2015)
Sunday, May 4 at 11 a.m. (free)

“Inside Out 2” (2024)
Saturday, May 10 at 11 a.m. (free)

National Theatre Live

“Fleabag”
Sunday, May 4 at 5 p.m.

“Hamlet”
Sunday, May 11 at 5 p.m.

“Vanya”
Sunday, May 18 at 5 p.m.

AAPI Heritage Month Movies

“Crazy Rich Asians” (2018)
Sunday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m.

“The Farewell” (2019)
Tuesday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m.

“Minari” (2020)
Sunday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m.

Mother’s Day Series

“Serial Mom” (1994)
Sunday, May 4 at 7 p.m.

“Psycho” (1960)
Friday, May 9 at 9:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 11 at 7 p.m.

Open Mic Night
Tuesday, May 6
Tuesday, May 20

Down in Front! Comedy Riffing
“The Wild Wild World of Batwoman” (1966)
Friday, May 9 at 9:30 p.m.

Trivia Night
Tuesday, May 13
Tuesday, May 27

3rd in the Burg Movie Night
“The Secret of NIMH” (1982)
Friday, May 16 at 9:30 p.m.

Sunday Docs Series
“Summer of Soul” (2021)
Sunday, May 18 at 12 p.m.

Cult Favorites
“The Triplets of Belleville” (2003)
Tuesday, May 27 at 7 p.m.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Memories & More: Jewish Film Festival weekend features a beloved childhood companion, in addition to several award-winning movies

April 29, 2025 | by Barbara Trainin Blank

“Bad Shabbos”

An old friend is about to visit Harrisburg.

For decades, ventriloquist Shari Lewis and her sassy sock puppet, Lamb Chop, entertained and educated legions of children.

Now, Baby Boomers and Gen-Xer’s can wax nostalgic for this childhood favorite, thanks to the 2024-25 Edward S. Finkelstein Harrisburg Jewish Film Festival Series.

On May 29, the festival will close out the year-long series with a “Season Finale Mini-fest,” showcasing the 2024 documentary, “Shari & Lamb Chop,” with some very special guests.

“Attending the event, via Zoom, will be Lamb Chop herself,” said Julie Sherman, festival chair, along with Mallory Lewis, Shari’s daughter, who has been performing with Lamb Chop since her mother’s death in 1998.

This includes traveling the world and interacting with some of the 325,000 TikTok and Instagram followers the pair has amassed over the years. Attendees of “Shari & Lamb Chop” will have the opportunity to virtually meet and greet both Lamb Chop and Mallory and enjoy a post-screening dessert reception.

“My mother was a remarkable woman and one of the world’s greatest entertainers,” Mallory said.

Having learned ventriloquism at her mother’s knee, Mallory today performs in her stead, not to “challenge” Shari, but to pay tribute to her life and legacy. “And I want to do everything I can to keep Lamb Chop going,” said Mallory, acknowledging that she and the forever-young sock-puppet are, in many ways, sisters.

Now in its 30th year, the Harrisburg Jewish Film Festival has morphed from an eight-day annual festival into a monthly outing. The “Season Finale Mini-fest” is the culmination of a successful film series that began last September.

“There’s much to be said for a monthly series,” Sherman said. “It’s something people can put in their calendars and look forward to. But nothing beats the excitement and intensity of a multi-day, multi-film affair.”

After opening night’s “Shari & Lamb Chop” at Beth El Temple, the mini-fest continues with seven screenings over three days at Midtown Cinema. Five films will be featured, among them two Israeli narratives, “Seven Blessings,” winner of 10 Israeli Academy Awards, and “The Stronghold,” winner of “Best Director” and “Best Film” awards at the Montreal Festival of Israeli Cinema.

“The Story of Annette Zelman,” a Romeo and Juliet-type tale set in 1942 in Nazi-occupied Paris comes to the festival from France, and the mini-fest is rounded out by two American comedies, “Citizen Weiner” and “Bad Shabbos.”

“Citizen Weiner” is a docu-mocumentary starring one Zack Weiner, who, despite being truly unqualified for the job, ran for a seat on the New York City Council during the pandemic.

“This one doesn’t have Jewish content as much as a Jewish sensibility,” Sherman said. “Zack’s heart was definitely in the right place.”

Weiner’s real talent was brought to bear on “Bad Shabbos,” a film he co-wrote with director Daniel Robbins. Winner of the “Audience Award” at Tribeca in 2024, “Bad Shabbos” has been a big hit on the festival circuit this season. (“Buy your tickets early,” Sherman warned.)

Everything that can go wrong does go wrong in this story of a newly engaged couple bringing her Midwestern Catholic parents to meet his New York Jewish ones for the first time at a Friday night Shabbos dinner. The ensemble cast is headed by Kyra Sedgwick, David Paymer and Cliff “Method Man” Smith and includes a slew of other recognizable faces.

“Bad Shabbos” will screen twice during the mini-fest, including as the closing film on Sunday, when Weiner and Robbins will appear, live at Midtown Cinema, to discuss their film and to answer audience questions.

“The mission of our festival is to share films that reflect contemporary and historical Jewish and Israeli experiences,” Sherman said. “We look for diversity in theme, genre—comedies are always a bonus—country of origin and perspective. This mini-fest is a snapshot, and we invite you to take a look.”

The “Shari & Lamb Chop” special event takes place on May 29, starting at 6:30 p.m., at Beth El Temple, 2637 N. Front St., Harrisburg. For tickets, visit www.hbgjff.com.

Other festival films will screen at Midtown Cinema, 250 Reily St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.hbgjff.com or www.midtowncinema.com/jff.

Now Playing

The Edward S. Finkelstein Harrisburg Jewish Film Festival “Season Finale Mini-Fest” will run the weekend of May 29 to June 1.

Thursday, May 29
“Shari & Lamb Chop,” 6:30 p.m.
Beth El Temple
2637 N. Front St., Harrisburg

Friday, May 30
“Seven Blessings,” 11 a.m.
“Bad Shabbos,” 2:30 p.m.
“The Stronghold,” 5:30 p.m.
Midtown Cinema
250 Reily St., Harrisburg

Saturday, May 31
“Citizen Weiner,” 9:30 p.m.
Midtown Cinema
250 Reily St., Harrisburg

Sunday, June 1
“The Story of Annette Zelman,” 10:30 a.m.
“The Stronghold,” 1 p.m.
“Bad Shabbos,” 4 p.m.
Midtown Cinema
250 Reily St., Harrisburg

For more information, visit www.hbgjff.com.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Community Corner: Notable May Events

April 29, 2025 | by Missy Smith

May Community Corner

Go Red
May 1: Capital Region Go Red for Women Luncheon will be held 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at West Shore Country Club, 100 Brentwater Rd., Camp Hill. Doors open at 10:30 a.m., and the program begins at 11:45 a.m. www.heart.org/goredhbg

Calm the Mind
May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: Learn short, easy 15-minute calming meditations on Thursdays from 12 to 12:30 p.m., at Fredricksen Library, 100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill. Meditations are suitable for people of any background or religion. www.fredricksenlibrary.org

Scavenger Hunt
May 1-31: Kids up to age 12 are invited to New Cumberland Public Library, 1 Benjamin Plaza, to celebrate “Better Sleep Month” with a scavenger hunt to search for bedtime-related items around the children’s room and win a prize. www.newcumberlandlibrary.org

Tee Off
May 2: Wildheart Ministries will hold its annual Golf Outing at Dauphin Highlands Golf Course to support rebuilding efforts in Allison Hill. Registration opens at 7:30 a.m., with an 8:30 a.m. tee time. The $150 entry fee includes golf, breakfast, snacks, drinks and lunch. www.swingforthehill.com

AAPI Celebration
May 2: The Ware Center, 42 Prince St., Lancaster, will celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a “We the People First Friday” event, with an art exhibit from 6 to 8 p.m. and a food demonstration at 6:30 p.m. www.artsmu.com

Spring Concerts
May 2, 4: The Hershey Community Chorus holds its spring concert, “I Hear America Sing,” featuring American composers and lyrics, on May 2 at 7 p.m. at the Hershey Story Museum, 62 W. Chocolate Ave., Hershey, and on May 4 at 3 p.m. at the Hershey Free Church, 330 Hilltop Rd., Hummelstown. Purchase tickets by emailing [email protected].

HBG Flea
May 3: Explore the HBG Flea for local art, vintage treasures, curated curios and unique gifts, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Strawberry Square, 320 Market St., Harrisburg. The mission of the HBG Flea is to create a platform for community growth by bringing artists, small businesses and patrons together. www.hbgflea.com

Civil War Presentation
May 3: National Civil War Museum, 1 Lincoln Circle, Harrisburg, hosts “Clara Barton—Red Cross Angel,” an interpretive presentation with actress and Smithsonian Scholar Mary Ann Jung, 1 to 2 p.m. www.nationalcivilwarmuseum.org

Tonight’s Sky
May 3, 4: Explore the night sky with the planetarium director at the State Museum of PA, 300 North St., Harrisburg, at 3 p.m. Learn about the basic motions of the sky, visible constellations and planets and special celestial events. www.statemuseumpa.org

Book Sales
May 3, 17: Friends of New Cumberland Public Library, 1 Benjamin Plaza, hosts pre-owned book sales on the first and third Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in Foundation House. Find books, vintage items, jewelry, music, puzzles, records and more. www.newcumberlandlibrary.org

Plein Air
May 3-18: Visit MH Art Gallery, 42 W. Market St., Marietta to view works of plein air art created by local artists along the Susquehanna River during Marietta Art Alive’s River Towns Plein Air event. See hours online. www.mariettaalive.com

May Spirituality
May 3-24: St. Martin de Porres Catholic Worker will host a May Spirituality Speaker Series on Saturdays and Sundays in May at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 1439 Market St, Harrisburg, to commemorate the Catholic worker movement. Speakers will discuss Dorothy Day and Black American Catholics. www.stmartindeporrescw.org

Garden Faire
May 4: Garden Faire kicks off the season at Fort Hunter Mansion and Park, 5300 N. Front St., Harrisburg, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Enjoy lunch in the Tavern House, family activities, exhibits and reduced-price mansion tours. www.forthunter.org

Handbell Ensemble
May 4: Trindle Spring Lutheran Church hosts the Hershey Handbell Ensemble at 3 p.m. as part of their “Music at the Spring” series. The ensemble will perform “Shall We Dance,” featuring various dance styles. www.trindlespringlutheran.org

Derby Night
May 4: Sadler Health Center hosts a Kentucky Derby-themed fundraising event, “Derby Night of Giving,” 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at The Barn at Creek’s Bend, 29 S. Middlesex Rd., Carlisle. www.sadlerhealth.org

Toast to Mothers
May 8: Tri County Community Action will host “Toast to Mothers & Families: Brunch & Auction” 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at West Shore Country Club, 100 Brentwater Rd., Camp Hill. Event includes brunch, an auction and stories of resilience. www.cactricounty.org

Food Rally
May 8: Explore the New Cumberland Food Truck & Restaurant Rally every second Thursday of the month, 5 to 8 p.m., to grab dinner from food trucks or New Cumberland restaurants. Enjoy shopping at local businesses. www.newcumberlandpa.org

Fundraising Event
May 8: Vision Resources of Central PA hosts the 25th annual “Visions of Monte Carlo” fundraiser at the Sheraton Harrisburg/Hershey, 4650 Lindle Rd., Harrisburg, for dinner, auction, music, dancing, casino-style games and more, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. www.vrocp.org

Greenlight Run
May 10: Greenlight Operation will hold its fifth annual 5K on City Island to support survivors of human trafficking. Check-in is 8 a.m. to 8:45 a.m., and the run begins at 9 a.m. www.greenlightoperation.org

Native Plant Sale
May 10: Wild Ones of South Central PA will hold a native plant sale, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in conjunction with the Diakon Wilderness Greenhouse, 571 Mountain Rd., Dillsburg. southcentralpa.wildones.org

Hershey Artfest
May 10: The 20th annual Hershey Artfest, hosted by the Hershey History Center, features nearly 100 exhibitors, entertainment and food trucks, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Englewood Barn, 1219 W. End Ave., Hershey. Admission is free. www.hersheyhistory.org

Hunger Run
May 10: The 10th annual Hummelstown Hunger Run, including a 5K run/walk and a 5M run, will start at 10 a.m. at Schaffner Park, Hummelstown. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. Proceeds benefit Hummelstown Food Pantry. www.htownhungerrun.wixsite.com/hummelstown5k

Dinner Concert
May 10: Bob Barry, pianist and soundscape artist, will perform a dinner concert from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Mercato Mio Italian Restaurant in the Penn Harris Hotel, 1204 Blue Ridge Rd., Harrisburg. www.bobbarrypiano.com

Free for Moms
May 10-11: To celebrate Mother’s Day, moms can enjoy the Hershey Story Museum, 63 W. Chocolate Ave., and Hershey Gardens, 170 Hotel Rd., for free, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Rhododendron and azalea display will be at Hershey Gardens on Sunday. www.hersheystory.org

Full Moon Float
May 11: Susquehanna Outfitters, 333 S. Front St., Wormleysburg, will guide a full-moon adventure on the Susquehanna River, 7 to 10 p.m. Event includes a shuttle, snacks and gear. www.susquehannaoutfitters.com

Quilt Show
May 14: The 34th annual Quilt Show will be on display at Winters Heritage House Museum, 41-47 E. High St., Elizabethtown. Featured quilts are made or owned by people from Elizabethtown and surrounding areas. www.elizabethtownhistory.org

Plein Air
May 14: Hershey Area Art Association’s Plein Air Group will meet weekly on Fridays, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., at various locations in the Hershey area. Check the HAAA Facebook page for location updates. www.hersheyareaartassociation.com

Book Talk
May 15: Join National Civil War Museum, One Lincoln Circle, Harrisburg, 7 to 8 p.m., for a free Zoom conversation with editors James Robbins Jewell and Eugene S. Van Sickle about “Waging War for Freedom with the 54th Massachusetts—The Civil War Memoir of John W. M. Appleton.” www.nationalcivilwarmuseum.org

Flower Walk
May 16: Take a walk at Wildwood Park, 100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg, to find Jack-in-the-Pulpits and other spring flowers along the Towpath Trail, 10 to 11:30 a.m. Participants at any 2025 flower walk will be entered into a raffle for a wildflower-themed gift basket. www.explorewildwoodpark.org

Water Safety
May 16: Learn about choosing the right life jackets for you and your family with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and The State Museum of PA. This free virtual program begins at 12:15 p.m. Registration required. www.statemuseumpa.org

Preservation Toast
May 16: The 2025 Preservation Celebration and “A Toast to Janice Black” will be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the Manor at Mountain View, 2201 Fishing Creek Valley Rd., Harrisburg. Tickets are $100. Event includes dinner, live music, a silent auction and casual casino-style games. www.HistoricHarrisburg.org

Art Unites
May 16: “Art You Women?” panel discussion will spotlight women and culture, exploring how women in the arts shape communities. The event, part of the “Art Unites the World” series, features artists and curators sharing insights, 6 to 8 p.m. at 612 N. Front St., Harrisburg. www.civicclubofharrisburg.com

3rd in The Burg
May 16: Explore the best of Harrisburg during 3rd in the Burg, the monthly arts and culture event, where you can visit and enjoy galleries, restaurants and art spaces throughout downtown and Midtown, 6 to 9 p.m. www.thirdintheburg.org

Organ Music
May 16: Organist Jason Roberts will perform with the 1923 silent film classic, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” at Market Square Presbyterian Church, 20 S. 2nd St., Harrisburg, 7 p.m. Complimentary parking available in Market Square garage. artsonthesquare.net

River City
May 16, 18: View a screening of “River City Stories,” a film by Paul Hood and Wallace McKelvey, at the Zoetropolis Cinema Stillhouse, 112 N. Water St., Lancaster. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. on May 16 and 12 p.m. on May 18. zoetropolis.com/movies/river-city-stories/

Block Party
May 17: Join Plant Family for a plant sale block party, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 1820 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg. Find medicinal and culinary herbs, flowers and veggie starts from organic regenerative local farms, plus music, coffee and more. www.plantfamily.love

Plant Fest
May 17: Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Cumberland County will hold an annual Plant Fest and Sale, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Cumberland County Service Center, 310 Allen Rd., Carlisle. extension.psu.edu/cumberland-county

Petapalooza
May 17: Petapalooza, a free community festival featuring animals from local shelters and rescues, will be held 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Central Penn College, 600 Valley St., Summerdale. Event includes live music, vendors and food trucks. www.PetapaloozaPA.com

Game Sale
May 18: Harrisburg Board Game Alliance will host a Board Game Yard Sale at Pursuit Coworking and Zeroday Brewing in Harrisburg, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Attendees can discover new games at discounted prices. www.HBGAlliance.org

Dance Night
May 18: Dance enthusiasts are invited to join Harrisburg USA Dance Chapter #3009 for a Samba lesson at 2 p.m., followed by three hours of social dancing, at PA DanceSport, 585 E. Main St., Hummelstown. All levels welcome. Admission is $15, $10 for members, and $5 for students. Facebook: USA Dance Chapter #3009 – Harrisburg Area PA

Cleanup Day
May 24: Wildheart Ministries hosts a Love the Hill cleanup event, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Volunteers pick up trash, do basic landscaping, help with dumpsite removal or plant flowers. www.lovethehillpa.com

Women in Blues
May 25: The Blues Society will hold its annual picnic at the Mechanicsburg Club Picnic Grounds, 80 Glendale Dr. This year’s picnic, “Mom I Picnic—Women in the Blues,” features live music by female musicians, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. www.bscpblues.com

Community Event
May 28: Millersburg Area School District will host a community event, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., with music, food, games and vendors at 799 Center St., Millersburg. www.mlbgsd.k12.pa.us

Casino Mixer
May 28: Mingle with local business professionals at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Racecourse, 777 Hollywood Blvd., Grantville, during West Shore Chamber of Commerce’s evening mixer, 5 to 7 p.m. Event is free and open to members. www.wschamber.org

Interfaith Seder
May 30: Beth El Temple, 2637 N. Front Street, Harrisburg, will host the 13th Annual Greater Harrisburg Interfaith Freedom Seder at 6 p.m. Event commemorates the journey from slavery to freedom. www.bethelhbg.org

Folk Gathering
May 31: Susquehanna Folk Music Society hosts a networking get-together for people who practice or enjoy traditional arts, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., at Hershey Public Library, 701 Cocoa Ave., Hershey. Participants can meet others and collaborate. www.sfmsfolk.org

Beach Party
May 31: Enjoy a free beach party celebration recognizing National Small Business Month, 6 to 8 p.m., at Dauphin County Heroes Grove, 5010 Commons Dr., Harrisburg. Take in a performance by Second Time Thru. www.lowerpaxton-pa.gov

Wind Down
May 31: Consciousness Coffee, 1 Lemoyne Sq., Lemoyne, hosts Wind Down series of show ‘n tell open mic, 7 to 9 p.m. This open mic invites attendees to share almost anything: a poem, a song or two, a few jokes, a reading from a cherished book, etc. Musician Kita P. will close out the night with a special set. Sign-ups start at 6:30 p.m.

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