Tag Archives: harrisburg

Cutting Edge: Stylist Eric Moon gathers ideas from around the world, then brings them home to Harrisburg.

December 30, 2014 | by Ashleigh Pollart

What’s next? This may be the question you’re asking yourself right at this moment. What are you going to achieve in 2015? And what will life throw at you?

For Eric Moon, owner and creative director of Salon Edjii, the answers of his own ‘What’s next?’ have revealed themselves organically. It’s been through natural conversation with peers and friends and sometimes complete strangers, as Moon has progressed and transitioned from an art student at Kutztown University to traveling the world as an artist and educator with TIGI, the world-renowned hair care brand and culture.

Moon first encountered TIGI years ago at the salon where he was working.

“I was really drawn to this brand by their imagery and what they were doing,” he explained, listing off the terms “new wave,” “punk” and “edgy” as his inspirations. “And I wanted to be a part of that.”

One day, Moon struck up a conversation with a TIGI sales representative who frequented the salon. A few weeks later, after he had caught the attention of more representatives at a training session, he received a phone call inviting him to a training program.

Almost a decade later, Moon travels nearly every week for TIGI. Some of these excursions may be local educating opportunities, but about half are “fly-aways” as Moon calls them—no pun intended. It’s these unique opportunities to travel that sets Salon Edjii—located on Derry Street in Paxtang—apart from other salons in the Susquehanna Valley.

“I love being able to bring everything I experience outside of Harrisburg back to central PA to share with my clients,” Moon explained. “Harrisburg has a reputation (and part of it is true) that we’re a little behind the times when it comes to fashion. We have a great restaurant, art and music scene here, but fashion is not quite there.”

Still, there are people who are hungry for the Harrisburg fashion scene to take off, he said.

“People will sit in my chair and ask what I’m seeing in this city or country and ask what’s new,” he said. “Because I get to travel, I’m able to have a good answer for what’s new, what’s current and what’s next, so people can be ahead of the curve.”

Taking Chances

Born in England to a military family, Moon moved around a lot as a child to locations as varied as Newfoundland, New Jersey, Colorado and Pennsylvania.

“I have that cool dual-citizenship thing going on. I have at home what I call my Jason Bourne drawer. There are multiple passports, guns and money—if it’s empty, I’m gone,” he teased, with an infectious laugh.

His initial fling with haircuts and color started with experiments using grocery-store-bought boxed color on high school classmates. In college, he even traded haircuts and color for beer, food and art supplies.

His experience mixing colors started during one of his first real salon jobs.

“There were times that I had free time at that salon, and I brought a friend in so [my employer] could see what I could do,” he said. “I got to go to the back room and mix real color—it was awesome! I was hooked. I loved it.”

For Moon, it was the 1980s that inspired him and sparked his initial love for new wave, punk and just plain cool edginess.

“A lot of people look back at the ‘80s with disdain right now,” he said. “Granted, there were a lot of things from that decade that were pretty terrible, but I appreciated that the ‘80s took a lot of chances. Since then, everything has been regurgitated from another decade. We look at something and say ‘Oh, this has a ‘40s feel.’”

Something Good

Today, Moon travels with TIGI, sharing his knowledge and experience with salons all over the world—then brings new concepts back to Harrisburg.

When opening Salon Edjii, Moon chose Paxtang due to its central location for his many urban and suburban clients. He also had the opportunity to build a salon based upon his own design ideas. Moon focused on an atmosphere that included distressed brick, high ceilings and other urban, industrial features.

“For my vision, I got to experience other workspaces and salon environments—what things I liked as far as décor, feel and atmosphere,” he said. “I figured out which of those things that I liked were a part of my personal brand and salon culture. The idea was to create a salon culture that I felt was missing from the Harrisburg area. Something that’s modern in a creative space.”

The result is what he calls a comfortable atmosphere that’s not too cool for his widely varied clientele.

“I remember being a student and having this idea that ‘I can’t wait to get out of here and I’m going to have all these cool clients that are new wave and punk and edgy. I’m going to make purple and pink hair on everyone, all the time,’” Moon said. “And, you might get to do some of that, but as I explain to students now, get good at brown and blonde.”

Although Harrisburg is not exactly the center of edginess that Moon dreamt of in the ‘80s, he remains a central PA cheerleader.

“One thing that’s great about Harrisburg—and I feel like everyone says this, but rarely takes advantage of it—we are conveniently located two hours away from everything cool. Not that Harrisburg isn’t cool, but if you want to go to Baltimore or DC—boom—down I-83, you’re there,” he said.

After his last salon job, he purposely stayed in Harrisburg because it’s where he wanted to be and because, he believed, he could contribute.

“Sometimes, people get this idea that they’re bigger than Harrisburg and that they should get out,” he said. “I turned that around and said I’m not too good for Harrisburg; I’m something good for Harrisburg.”

In light of the New Year, I asked Moon what mindset clients should have when they visit him for the first time. His answer: an open mind to truly have a new experience.

“Every city has a slightly different hair and fashion culture,” he said. “For example, you go to New York, and it can be very dark. The city’s atmosphere and how it bares down on people has an influence on their fashion. In Miami, everything is vibrant and colorful and free. San Francisco and Seattle embrace the outdoor culture.”

While Moon may visit these other places, he plans to stay right here.

“I like grass between my toes in the summer and sitting on my patio with a cocktail and a fire pit,” he said. “I think open fires are probably frowned upon in New York.”

Salon Edjii is located at 3401 Derry St., Harrisburg. For more information and to schedule an appointment, call 717-564-1089 or visit www.salonedjii.com.

Harrisburg Hopes: A few simple things would improve life in this city in 2015.

December 30, 2014 | by Tara Leo Auchey

It’s a new year. With that come new expectations for the City of Harrisburg. Here are a few things I’m looking forward to, hoping for, and counting on in 2015.

A brighter city

It’s a top issue people have with the city—too many streetlights are burnt out, broken or missing.

It makes for a dark, sinister and scary public realm. Anyone who has travelled down one of the city’s darkened streets knows what I mean.

But that’s all supposed to change in 2015.

With grant money from the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority to kick-start the project, Harrisburg is planning on inventorying, prioritizing, fixing and converting its 6,000 streetlights to LED technology. By the end of the year, most, if not all, of the city’s lights should be in good, energy-efficient, working order.

While this is set to happen, there’s a New Year’s resolution every resident and business should make to help the cause—turn on your lights.

If all residents turned on their porch lights, neighborhoods would instantly become safer and more attractive. If all businesses kept the outside of their buildings well lit, the city automatically would be more appealing.

It’s one of the simplest and most effective things each of us can do to add to the enlightenment of Harrisburg.

A cleaner city

Like the darkness of broken lights, the rubbish of Harrisburg is a tragic turnoff.

It’s one of the city’s most serious problems—trash. It’s everywhere. There are bags of ripped trash piled high along curbs. Trash cans overflow without tight-fitting lids, and that’s not the only city law people ignore. Televisions sit on the street. Mounds of furniture are put out. Even public trashcans spill junk onto the sidewalks.

Yes, there’s trash in any city, but I have to say, in general, Harrisburg is a mess. In fact, it verges on being filthy.

This is something also scheduled to change.

The city’s Public Works Department has proposed an ambitious strategy to overhaul the way it picks up trash. New trucks, new hires, new bins and new rules are all part of the plan for 2015.

However, that won’t be enough. It’s going to take more people properly pitching their garbage and picking up litter to help clean up this city.

It’s another thing for every resident, business, commuter and visitor to add to their lists of New Year’s resolutions. It’s time we all care more to keep Harrisburg clean.

A more unified city

The rich differences that make up Harrisburg are precisely what give this urban core its energy and vibe. Its diversity is what makes it a city.

However, those very differences can cause problems that hinder Harrisburg’s potential.

Around here, there’s a tendency to fall into an “us” and “them” mentality. The lines are drawn based on skin color, culture, ethnicity, income, how long you’ve lived here, where you’re from, who you know and who you don’t know.

In the past, this damaging fragmentation has been encouraged for a variety of reasons by a variety of people.

The fact is—disunity holds Harrisburg back.

Harrisburg’s success is dependent on teamwork and collaboration. The most important concept to impart is “partners.” No one person or group can do all that needs to be done to make this place better.

There’s a common call for more, but it will only happen if more of us work together.

A virtuous election

It’s a major election year in the city. Seats are up for city treasurer, four city councilors, six school directors and 10 district judges.

Harrisburg needs more people involved. Hopefully, this year, more residents will engage not only by running for offices but also by participating in the process.

In Greek, there is a word arete. In its most basic sense, it means to be the best one can be. It means striving for excellence and endeavoring to reach great human potential. Possessing arete means to find ways to overcome the difficulties of working with others and of working on projects in order to reach a common good that’s best for as many people as possible.

Having arete is to be informed, to be part of various social endeavors, to listen well, to find compromise, and to strive for shared goals.

It’s a trait expected of all citizens. A person who has arete recognizes civic duty and is an active part of the community.

Just what Harrisburg needs, especially in an election year.

Less gripe, more hype about the many good things in Harrisburg

Enough said.

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

Restaurant Reinvention: Following top-to-bottom renovations, Ad Lib, 1700° Steakhouse debut inside Hilton.

December 30, 2014 | by Alexis Dow Campbell

Photo by Waxman Photography.

A few weeks ago, I got a text from my friend David.

He works at the Hilton Harrisburg, which recently replaced its two stalwart restaurants, and he was at an employee tasting at the new Ad Lib Craft Kitchen and Bar.

The text read: “Umm Alexis. Our new food is f*$%ing great.”

He sent a photo of a pickled beet egg that he was eating and described it as “a deviled egg crossbreed. It’s got a real pickled bite to it, and that sliver of beet is crunchy.”

There were lots more texts describing other dishes, in all caps to emphasize their sheer awesomeness (“I AM EATING PRETZEL BALLS STUFFED WITH CREAM CHEESE, PEPPERONI AND JALAPENO”) and yet more acclaiming Ad Lib’s edible cocktails (more on those later).

When I asked Tony Bianco, executive sous chef at both Ad Lib and 1700° Steakhouse (i.e. 1700 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature of the infrared broiler that sears the steaks), what prompted the big changes, his answer was simple: “It was time.”

“When the original concepts [for the previous restaurants, Raspberries and The Golden Sheaf] were new, they were ahead of their time,” he said. “But things have changed, and we wanted to catch up. It was time to change the vibe, change the energy.”

The reinvention of dining at the Hilton was part of a larger remodeling project that coincided with the hotel’s 25th anniversary in Harrisburg.

We chatted about Ad Lib first, and I mentioned David’s passionate texts. Bianco laughed and explained that the idea behind Ad Lib was to present traditional comfort foods in new and unexpected ways. The pickled egg that David loved is a great example.

“It’s a deviled beet egg, but we pickled the white in white vinegar, so you’re not necessarily expecting vinegar flavor when you bite into it,” Bianco said. “We added the beet to the yolk mousse instead, which creates a beautiful presentation and some unexpected flavor.”

Ad Lib’s menu is based around small plate sharing, and, according to Bianco, it’s one of the only places in the area with a menu that’s designed this way.

“Your server will help guide you through the experience,” he explained. “You can just order a few at a time and share with your friends… just let the meal evolve.”

Ad Lib also features an adventurous cocktail selection, including 30 wines by the glass, 60 different craft beers and edible cocktails.

Wait, what?

Here’s how David described one of them, a s’mores cocktail: “Chocolate liqueur and vodka, made into a gelatin, with house-made toasted marshmallows and a cinnamon sugar biscuit.”

So, yeah, that sounds amazing.

As for 1700°, the infrared broiler was the inspiration for the whole concept.

“It gives a nice hard char to the outside of the steaks,” explained Bianco.

At 1700°, the broiler puts in a full day’s work as nine different steak entrees populate the regular menu, with chef’s specials often boosting the beef dishes into the double digits. The choices include almost every quality cut of grass-fed angus, including a 21-day, dry-aged New York strip, a process that intensifies the flavor and tenderizes the meat.

Can’t decide? 1700° sympathizes with your dilemma and offers a steak sampler, which includes four ounces each of Kobe flat iron, certified angus tenderloin and the New York strip.

For those who prefer less cow, the restaurant has a wide range of seafood dishes, including a seafood bar, as well as soups, salads and a risotto of the day.

And just when you’ve finally decided between the grass-fed porterhouse and the prime rib eye, you face another difficult choice. Right there in the dining room, an 8-foot-tall glass wall tempts you with more than 1,000 bottles of wine.

It’s at that point that you realize that Harrisburg finally has what many say it’s been lacking—a world-class steakhouse.

“Both Ad Lib and 1700 have a real big city feel,” said Bianco. “It really doesn’t feel like any other place in Harrisburg.”

Ad Lib Craft Kitchen & Bar and 1700° Steakhouse are located inside the Hilton Harrisburg, 1 N. 2^nd St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.adlibrestaurants.com (717-237-6419) and www.1700restaurant.com (717-237-6400).

Up from the Ashes: Clean UP Cycle transforms discarded junk into valued artwork.

December 30, 2014 | by Missy Smith

A little less trash litters the streets of Allison Hill these days, thanks to creativity, passion for community and some artistic inspiration. The litter, though, is still visible, now components of upcycled artwork that the Harrisburg community can see and enjoy.

This past fall, nonprofit collaboration Clean UP Cycle hosted an art show, which was the culmination of volunteers salvaging materials from Harrisburg streets and a team of local artists dreaming up new life for the retrieved trash. It began as a Drug Free Pennsylvania (DFPA) initiative to incorporate addiction-themed art in its office space, but became a much larger community-wide project of hope and rebirth.

DFPA Executive Director Christie Wentz and Director of Educational Programs Scott Serafini, as well as volunteer Brad Gebhart, brainstormed a community-centric art project that they hoped would get artists and Harrisburg neighborhoods involved in their message. Soon after, Foundation for Hope (FFH) founder Jesse Gantt joined forces with Clean UP Cycle.

To spread awareness about substance abuse, bullying, depression and suicide, DFPA and FFH planned a two-month-long trash-to-art project, organized as a community outreach initiative.

“As we discussed the message of Drug Free Pennsylvania, we realized that the mission of hope and renewal begins with discovering inner beauty in ourselves and our communities. The idea of creating something beautiful from something cast off is where we began,” says Serafini, explaining that the project ties in seamlessly with DFPA and FFH’s messages of hope about “coming up from the ashes” of drugs, depression and suicidal thoughts.

Trash to Art

Back in September, a team of 15 volunteers gathered at Danzante Community Art Center on an unkindly damp day to remove trash and debris from the Allison Hill neighborhood. After the team of trash haulers loaded their finds on a box truck, they transported the newly salvaged art materials to the Habitat for Humanity Greater Harrisburg Area ReStore warehouse, where, the next day, local artists began selecting the components for their projects.

“As I walk the streets of Harrisburg, I believe people will take pride in their neighborhood if their neighborhood is something to be proud of,” says Serafini. “Picking stuff up off the streets encourages that mindset. We want to encourage people to take pride in where they live.”

Volunteering their time to the cause, participating artists had one monthto complete their works of art, which were presented to the public on Oct. 18 in a vacant lot across from Danzante. A selection of art pieces is now permanently displayed in the Danzante lot and at other nonprofit organizations around the city. Proceeds from art sales directly benefitted DFPA and FFH.

About a dozen pieces were featured in the show, including functional art, large installation pieces and mixed media work, all signifying the capacity of art to breathe new life into our communities.

“Beauty can be found in every neighborhood and every individual,” says Gantt. “Clean UP Cycle is a win-win for everyone. Artists and volunteers were given a unique opportunity to creatively send messages of hope, renewal and recovery.”

For Serafini, art is a healthy expression of the soul, especially in hard times.

“I believe that art is something that everyone can relate to,” he explains. “When people struggle with any of these issues, they can look to art for hope.”

Serafini believes that Harrisburg is the natural backdrop for an art project that sends inspirational messages to its community.

“Harrisburg is on the edge of some great things, and I think that we are doing some great things in the city,” he says. “We have a very artistically focused community. It incites passion in people. It is very exciting to see.”

For more information on Clean UP Cycle, visit www.cleanupcycle.org.

Video Footage of Councilwoman’s Arrest May Factor In Charges

December 3, 2014 | by Paul Barker

City Councilwoman Sandra Reid, left, and Council President Wanda Williams.

Video footage taken at the State Street gas station where Harrisburg City Councilwoman Sandra Reid was arrested two days before Thanksgiving is among the evidence the district attorney’s office is using to determine whether to file charges, First Assistant District Attorney Fran Chardo confirmed Wednesday.

The footage includes video from both police dashboard cameras and store surveillance cameras, Chardo said.

The store’s footage, from cameras with views inside and outside City Gas & Diesel at 15^th and State streets, was collected by law enforcement the day after Reid’s arrest, according to Nirmal Singh Gill, a man who identified himself as the business owner.

Gill said he was not present during the arrest and had not viewed the surveillance footage. He did not make available any employees who might have witnessed the incident at his store.

So far, few details have surfaced of the circumstances leading to the arrest of Reid, a first-term councilwoman with an often fiery demeanor who has actively campaigned to remove trash from city streets and crack down on illegal dumpers.

Since her arrest, late in the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 25, Harrisburg police have referred questions about the incident to the mayor’s office. Reid, meanwhile, has declined to give her version of events, saying she would wait to release a statement until after the district attorney had made a decision on the charges.

Most of what is known about the incident comes from a police log, available for download on the city’s website. The log records the arrest of two people close to midnight, one of them a 29-year-old black male and the other Councilwoman Reid.

The log is generated automatically from details entered by officers at the time of an arrest, said Paula Trovy, the police department’s public information officer. In the log, Reid is identified as Sandra Greene, a name from a previous marriage. Both Trovy and Chardo said that was consistent with the police records system, which logs subjects by the name under which they are first entered into the database.

According to the log, Reid was arrested for obstruction of justice, which Chardo said took place during the arrest of the other suspect. The man was arrested for making threats, physical harassment and false imprisonment, as well as for remaining on private property in defiance of an order to leave, the log says.

Officials have “no reason to believe” Reid and the man knew each other, Chardo said, but he added that he couldn’t be sure.

The counts against the man could be charged as three misdemeanors and one summary offense, Chardo said, while the count against Reid could be charged as a misdemeanor. As of midday Wednesday, no charges against either had been filed.

On Wednesday, the city denied a right-to-know request for the surveillance tapes, citing an exemption in the law for materials involved in either a criminal or noncriminal investigation.

Chardo later affirmed the exemption, saying the tapes formed part of the investigation. He did not say whether his office would release the tapes on its own, and referred to a law that restricts dissemination of investigatory materials to non-law enforcement entities.

He did say, however, that the tapes would likely be an exhibit in any case resulting from the investigation, at which point they would become public documents.

This story has been updated with information that an alternate surname identifying Councilwoman Reid was from a previous marriage, and to clarify a point about the names recorded in Harrisburg police logs.

Harvest Time: New farm-to-table helps satisfy the midstate’s growing appetite for fresh, local.

November 28, 2014 | by Alexis Dow Campbell

Two o’clock is generally pretty quiet in a restaurant.

The big lunch rush is done; staff is busy preparing for dinner. This is not the case at Harvest Seasonal Grill and Wine Bar, a farm-to-table restaurant that opened after much anticipation in the Shoppes at Susquehanna in August.

I walked through the doors expecting the usual mid-afternoon restaurant calm, but was greeted by an energized atmosphere and insanely delicious smells.

The Harrisburg location is the fourth Harvest opened by Philadelphia-based restaurateur Dave Magrogan, whose other restaurants include Dave & Anthony’s Stella Rossi Ristorante, Doc Magrogan’s Oyster House and Kildare’s Irish Pub. When I asked Magrogan why he decided to open a farm-to-table restaurant, I was honestly surprised by his answer.

“Well, before I got into the restaurant business, I used to be a chiropractor,” he said. “So, I learned a lot about health and nutrition and processed foods, and I saw a real blank space for this type of restaurant in the industry. Most farm-to-table restaurants are smaller, but I thought, ‘why can’t there be a healthful chain?’”

So Magrogan opened the first Harvest in Glen Mills in 2010 to great acclaim. All of Magrogan’s other restaurants are in Philadelphia or the surrounding area. So why was Harrisburg a good spot for the next location?

“There were a lot of reasons,” he said, “but the most attractive thing was the proximity to farms and farmers. Also, there are lots of great restaurants in the city of Harrisburg, but not as many as you move outside the city. The opportunity was clear.”

Harvest’s menu changes seasonally, and nearly everything (including dessert!) is 500 calories or fewer, made with locally sourced, fresh ingredients. Items more than 500 calories are marked with a little plus sign, and are, of course, also locally sourced and fresh.

The menu changes seasonally, and I mean the whole menu: the food, desserts and many of the drinks switch up every three months.

“We try to change it as close to the beginning of the new season as possible,” explained Gary Grasela, Harvest Harrisburg’s general manager.

Harvest has partnered with 12 local farms to provide meat, produce, dairy, vegetables, even honey for its menu. The day that I met Grasela, he had just come from a meeting with Keswick Creamery in Cumberland County. It was a cheese meeting.

“Our proximity to these farmers allows us to dial in deeper to the farm-to-table concept,” Grasela explained. “Many of these farmers are willing to deliver. We have so many choices.”

Grasela says that among the most popular entrees on the fall menu are the cedar-roasted Atlantic salmon ($19), coq au vin ($19) and the filet mignon ($31). Another highlight is the local cheese plate.

“It has local, raw, grass-fed, cave-aged cheddar from Lancaster that this guy makes by hand,” Grasela said. “It’s amazing.”

If you’re looking for something on the lighter side, there are some scrumptious-sounding sandwiches and salads, as well as flatbreads and vegetarian dishes. The portobello “cheese steak” caught my eye, which replaces meat with the steak of ‘shrooms ($11), as did the slow-roasted chicken sandwich ($10) and the vegan black kale Caesar salad, featuring a mix of lacinato kale and baby spinach, tossed with pickled red onions and herbed breadcrumbs (small $6, large $9).

As the mother of a 2-year-old who isn’t the most adventurous of eaters (although her favorite food is hummus, which she licks off any vegetable I serve with it), I was excited to see that there is a kid’s menu, which includes staples like spaghetti, mini-cheeseburgers and cheese quesadillas.

“My 8-year-old son loves it!” Magrogan told me excitedly when I asked if Harvest was the kind of place where you could bring a kid. “It’s his favorite of all of our restaurants. And, I mean, we have a pizza restaurant. Like, a really good pizza restaurant.”

So, how’s business?

“Really, really good,” Grasela told me. “We are the busiest restaurant in the company right now. The crowds have been exceeding expectation.”

Looking around Harvest, I saw all sorts: lots of business-y people catching a quick bite, couples, a mom with a toddler, a pair of older ladies (one of whom stopped Grasela on her way out to compliment him on her meal). Grasela said that the demographic is “really hard to pin down.”

“We see tons of couples for dates,” he said. “Large groups, whether it’s a corporate group or a birthday party or something, lots of families on weekends. And, of course, we get lots of shoppers from the stores around us. All of our customers appreciate the options that our menu provides.”

And those options are one of the things that Magrogan is most proud of.

“It’s great for date night or a business dinner, and you can bring the kids after soccer practice,” he said. “I think that we created something that appeals to everyone.”

Harvest Seasonal Grill and Wine Bar is located at the Shoppes at Susquehanna, 2625 Brindle Dr. in Susquehanna Township. More information is at www.harvestseasonalgrill.com or 717-545-4028.

Cookies and Punch: Maybe what Harrisburg needs is less bloviating and more socializing.

November 28, 2014 | by Tara Leo Auchey

It’s been a long year, Harrisburg.

For those of us who live in the city, it’s been a trying one. In fact, as Thomas Paine wrote, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Women’s, too.

To live in the city at this time requires a thick skin and a strong resolve. It means enduring a barrage of unabashed criticisms, insults and disappointments. There are battles galore, big ones and little ones from inside and out, fights to make Harrisburg better. Every which way are meetings, headlines, announcements, calls to action, warnings, proclamations, declarations, accusations and aspirations.

Not only is there so much to pay attention to, there’s also the need to discern what’s true and what isn’t. That in itself can be a wearisome feat.

When it comes down to it, it’s plumb tiring to be a part of a broken city in the midst of reconstruction.

Of course, it’s the end of the year, and much of the bah-humbug blues are just part of the season. In Harrisburg, though, the circumstances tend to exacerbate the normal trials and tribulations of life.

Yes, it takes strong resolve to persevere in these times.

It also takes cookies and punch.

The theory of cookies and punch is something that struck me a few years ago after a neighborhood holiday party.

Like this year, that year had been a long, exhausting one. The city’s crisis was just cresting and apprehension filled the air. However, that community gathering on a frigid night helped cut the unease we were all feeling.

Everyone brought something. There were homemade cookies, cakes, breads and dips, along with punches and wines shared amongst all of us. The room was filled with engaged residents happy that something festive was organized for them. It wasn’t a meeting obsessed with “Robert’s Rules of Order” or an open mic forum of too much venting about personal frustrations, concerns and desires. It was intended to be a purely social evening, yet there were more productive conversations about our neighborhood and our city than I had witnessed in a long time. Over and over throughout the night, I had fruitful discussions about the state of things.

What I realized is that neighborhood-wide, citywide, we are all sharing the same experience of Harrisburg, and it is only a matter of time until more and more of the gaps that seemingly separate us are bridged.

Where will those bridges come from? I dare say that social gatherings may be the wave of Harrisburg’s change. In the past eight years, I have been to more city and community meetings than I can count. All too often, I walk away from these meetings thinking, “What was that?! I can’t believe I just gave two-and-a-half hours of my time for that. What will even come of it?” And I’m a pretty patient and committed volunteer.

When it comes down to it, though, the most productive exchanges I’ve had have been in front of my house with passersby, with people I bump into at the Broad Street Market, and in spontaneous conversations over cups of coffee or pints of beer.

In these instances, I have learned more about the structure of cities, operations of the city’s administration, the power of the school board, crime in my neighborhood, codes legislation, projects, history and points of view than at any formal meeting I have attended. I have learned who to contact about this and that and how to really get a response from so and so. That night so many years ago, I walked away from the party with new contacts, new ideas and future meetings scheduled to actually get something done. Tangible next steps. Something to count on.

I was a renewed ball of energy and hope.

Fortunately, I have experienced that same sensation many times since then. Away from the formalities and to the essence of communal gathering—that’s when there is an encouragement of the spirit and a rejuvenation of the soul.

As this tiring year ends, let us rethink how we get things done. We should ponder what really encourages people to participate and why so many don’t, leaving the grueling tasks of reconstructing a broken city to too few. We should think about how we communicate and what certain approaches imply about power and order. Ultimately, we must consider how to organize processes that represent the dynamics of our city more fairly and bring more people together.

I say let there be more cookies-and-punch gatherings and see what happens.

May this season be filled with many such endeavors in the city and, with them, a renewed sense of vigor to take us into the new year.

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

An Imitation of Life: There’s real Harrisburg; then there’s media Harrisburg.

November 28, 2014 | by Lawrance Binda

Lately, I’ve been pondering the nature of reality.

No, I’m not taking a post-graduate philosophy course nor am I suffering through some type of midlife crisis (I did that about 10 years ago).

Rather, I’ve been wondering how people arrive at their conception of reality and how my business (the media) influences it. As usual in my columns, I’m talking mostly about Harrisburg here, though I suppose this theme could apply to many other communities and things.

When I moved here, I found Harrisburg to be a genial, if somewhat neglected, place. It was generally attractive to walk around, had some nice architecture, decent enough places to eat, a pretty Capitol building. It reminded me of some other urban neighborhoods I had lived in: great bones, nascent redevelopment, a smattering of typical inner-city woes.

Other than the city’s burgeoning financial crisis—which really was a unique problem—I didn’t see Harrisburg much differently than other East Coast cities, though it was a good deal smaller.

So, I was pretty shocked to learn that not everyone agreed with my assessment of this mostly pleasant place. In fact, many people disagreed—emphatically. They disagreed often and passionately and without hesitation.

I remember vividly a couple years back, when, in response to a rather innocuous post on TheBurg’s Facebook page about a downtown restaurant, someone wrote that he was surprised I didn’t fear for my safety.

How did this happen? I wondered. How was it that this quaint, if flawed, little city could stir such negative emotions among so many, particularly those who lived in the suburbs?

Now, I understand that Harrisburg isn’t for everyone. It can be a challenging place to live, especially with the sometimes-spotty (though sometimes-good) service delivery and subpar infrastructure. But the level of contempt and fear that I found on message boards or just in casual conversation surprised me.

I suppose there are several reasons for this. First of all, Harrisburg, as I understand it, was once in pretty desperate shape. The 1960s and ‘70s hit all cities hard, and Harrisburg suffered more than most, with severe flooding adding to the usual list of deindustrialization, white flight, rising crime, racism and blight. A couple generations later, this legacy lingers.

Secondly, the city’s government has been badly mismanaged, and that’s had an impact. The worst abuses, though, have only come to light in recent years. It wasn’t too long ago that Steve Reed was touted as one of the best mayors in the country.

And, thirdly, let’s face it: the Harrisburg area can be pretty provincial and racially divided. There are people who seem to relish bashing the city for their own personal reasons, even if they have little firsthand experience of life here.

Mostly, though, I blame my industry, the media. The media didn’t cause this misperception of Harrisburg, but it certainly has fed and done little to correct it.

Sure, the media has to report bad news; that’s part of its job. But another vital part of its job is this: it should reflect reality.

Too often, media presents a fictional version of life in Harrisburg, and perpetuating a fiction is one of the worst things a news organization can do.

You want to know what life is like in Harrisburg? For the most part, it’s pretty dull. Speaking personally, I walk to work, get lunch, walk home, repeat. On weekends, I do some yard work, try to eat at a good restaurant or two, and venture over to Broad Street Market, City Island and a few other places I like.

My life isn’t a lot different from that of your average suburbanite, with a few exceptions. I certainly walk a lot more and have quick, easy access to some of the area’s best cafés, bars, restaurants and entertainment. I also like to run along the river and at Italian Lake. To me, these are the things that make city life special, and they’re why I choose to live here.

Believe it or not, I spend almost no time worrying about crime, thinking about parking meters or dodging bullets from gun-toting state legislators.

But you wouldn’t know that from reading the front page of the Patriot-News or watching the evening news broadcast. Sure, I understand—how do you make a newscast out of a guy strolling over to Yellow Bird Café for a breakfast sandwich?

The constant drumbeat of bad news, though, has consequences, a terrible effect on the well-being of Harrisburg and its people. Taken in total, this coverage creates a fiction—a fanciful representation of life in this city. People who don’t live here then believe that falsehood, accept it as reality, and act on it as if it were true.

Recently, one downtown restaurateur told me that parking rate hikes haven’t much affected his business, but that he gets calls often from customers who worry for their safety. They want an assurance they won’t get mugged walking the 10 feet from their parking spot on the street into his restaurant. Where do you think that irrational fear comes from?

TheBurg tries to be a counterpoint, a magazine more interested in representing life than in sensationalizing it. We think it’s a more responsible approach, but we also believe that should be the mission of any news organization. Don’t lie to your readers—not just in the facts of an individual story, but in the bigger picture that your reporting, editing and design, taken together, create.

Most newsrooms operate on a daily timeframe, pumping out an article or news segment on a tight deadline. Their focus is on a few stories that single day, and they try to make sure that that they’re reasonably accurate. But there’s little recognition of the cumulative effect of so many stories, spanning a long period of time.

Unrelenting bad news, especially when it’s routinely reported breathlessly, can be destructive to a community and, worse yet, present an untrue picture of what life is like. It’s a fiction, and, in the case of Harrisburg, one that is widely believed and has proven to be profoundly harmful.

Lawrance Binda is editor-in-chief of TheBurg.

A Breath of Plein Air: Major show mounted for one of Harrisburg’s best-known artist groups.

November 28, 2014 | by Lori M. Myers

Pictured left to right: Jonathan Frazier, Dave Henry, and
Earl Blust painting in Cape Cod. Photo by Steve Wetzel.

When a friend introduced Steve Wetzel of Harrisburg to members of an artist collective called the Seven Lively Artists at an exhibit in Mechanicsburg, this former cartoonist and now-and-then landscape artist had found his calling—and his group of like-minded creators.

After seeing their work, Wetzel traveled with them on their annual excursion to Cape Cod to paint, not within the warmth and comfort of a studio, but outdoors amid the area’s terrain and shorelines. Wetzel was hooked and has been a part of this group of artists for almost a dozen years.

Through Jan. 10, Wetzel is one of 16 artists from the Seven Lively Artists to show their work at Gallery at Second in downtown Harrisburg. The exhibition, entitled “7-Lively Artists 1956-2014,” includes more than 50 works on display covering a wide range of time and styles. Wetzel, for example, has four of his works in the show—all representational oil landscapes that were painted en plein air, meaning that they were painted in the open air and on location.

“Our group always tries to hold an annual holiday exhibit around November and December, and so this particular show coincides with that tradition,” Wetzel says. “This will be the first time we’ve had the opportunity to hold a group show at Gallery at Second, and so this will be a special event for us.”

The Seven Lively Artists trace their beginning to 1956, when seven friends brought a relatively novel concept—plein air painting—to the Harrisburg area. As the popularity of the form grew, membership increased, so that those original seven now number about 18.

This exhibit fits right in with what owners Ted and Linda Walke had in mind when they opened their gallery in May 2010 after an extensive renovation of their building on N. 2^nd Street.

“Our goal is pretty simple,” Ted Walke says. “To place artwork in a wide scope of collections while underscoring the artwork’s educational and cultural value to patrons and visitors.”

The beautiful gallery usually features two independent exhibits on the main floor, every five to six weeks. The Upstairs Gallery features another 200-plus pieces by more than 50 local artists.

“With the exhibition of the Seven Lively Artists, it’s the first time we’ve opened the main floor for one exhibition,” Walke adds. “With more than 50 works by this collective, the resulting viewing experience will be one of both high quality and a mixture of mediums that will satisfy even the most discriminating gallery viewer.”

This is the first time the gallery has hosted the group. However, it has shown works by a number of the individual artists within it.

Paul Gallo of Middletown is another of the Seven Lively Artists featured in the exhibit. Gallo worked in advertising as an art director for more than 30 years, but in the past 10 discovered a renewed interest in fine art.

“I paint in oils, in a representational manner of subjects that interest me,” he says. “My three pieces in the current show are an example of this—a plein air landscape and two paintings of animals.”

While he enjoys the painting process, Gallo truly loves exhibiting his art, adding that most artists want their work to be viewed and appreciated.

“I think paintings are a calming, contemplative experience—a nice contrast to today’s hectic, sensory-assaulting visual media—television, movies, Internet,” he says.

From landscapes to animals, Walke is thrilled and honored to include this esteemed group within his walls, conveying on canvas the elements they felt and sensed while out of doors.

“With the interest shown thus far,” Walke says, “the public’s eager anticipation is a good indicator that we are among many who regard this Harrisburg collective as a cultural treasure.”

“7-Lively Artists 1956-2014” runs through Jan. 10 at Gallery at Second, 608 N. 2^nd St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.galleryatsecond.com. Please note that the gallery will be closed Dec. 25 to Jan. 3.

Holiday Wishes: Here’s what I hope for Harrisburg in 2015.

November 28, 2014 | by J. Alex Hartzler

The holidays offer time for reflection and giving thanks. They also are a time for thinking ahead about change and progress in the coming year.

My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving for its low-key, non-commercial nature, Mom’s home cooking, football and the promise of a four-day weekend. Since I don’t participate in “Black Friday,” opting for the couch and/or some walks instead, it is always the low-stress holiday in our home. Of course, I also greatly enjoy Christmas and New Year’s for their symbols of birth, re-birth and the promise of a brighter future for those who choose to believe.

Whereas last year I took stock of all the people and things I am thankful for in Harrisburg (December 2013, p. 7), this year I’m putting together my wish list for 2015. Thus, in the American spirit of renewal and on the premise that things that cannot be imagined cannot be achieved, here are some things, both big and small, I’d like to see happen in the coming year.

Our new Gov. Tom Wolf, new Senate Majority Leader Corman and House leaders Turzai and Smith work together, across the aisle, to move our state and city forward on such things as education funding formulas, pension reform, liquor privatization, extraction taxes and so forth.
N. Second Street, between Forster and Division streets, is finally restored to two-way traffic and an important neighborhood is reclaimed for the residents who live there—a mere 60 years after the street and neighborhood were ruined in the name of progress and suburban flight.
Front Street installs one new lane for bikes and one fewer lane for cars, as we have been promised.
Entrepreneurs and restaurateurs continue to find Harrisburg a viable and vibrant place for business.
Non-profit organizations of all stripes in Harrisburg realize that paying their municipal real estate taxes for police and fire protection is simply the right and moral thing to do and that the failure to do so makes them “free-riders” and “takers” from the rest of us who pay for them.
People who own property in the city care enough and have pride enough to maintain their property or sell it to others who will.
City Council works with the mayor in a spirit of cooperation for all residents and dispenses with the “us vs. them” references that divide us.
That we find some new voices on City Council after our elections next year.
Our suburban paper of record goes one year (OK, one month) without a sensational headline or article that disparages our city.
No new sinkholes open around the city.
The “land bank” gets implemented and the city and county are able to sell vacant land for productive use.
All Harrisburg streetlights receive new energy efficient bulbs, those bulbs work and the city saves money, as we have been promised.
The state of Pennsylvania realizes that it must invest in its capital city in much the same way and at a similar scale as the federal government has invested in Washington, D.C.
All of our Community Publishers and advertisers in TheBurg renew for 2015.
Many new Community Publishers and advertisers choose to work with TheBurg in 2015.
Hundreds of new residents and dozens of new businesses decide to live and/or locate in Harrisburg in 2015.
There is no “polar vortex” this winter.
Penn State wins a bowl game, any bowl game.
Local playwright Paul Hood gets his play “Brighton’s Green Street” produced.
The Broad Street Market is fully leased to fresh food vendors.
People stop walking across the beautiful new landscaping on State Street in front of the Capitol (paid for in part by private donations) and instead use the convenient crosswalks.
Standard Parking reduces parking rates by half between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. and thus potentially increases its overall revenue by attracting additional parking in the evening.

Lastly, I’d like to make the most important holiday wish of all. I wish all of our readers a happy and healthy new year.

J. Alex Hartzler is publisher of TheBurg.

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