Tag Archives: harrisburg

Living a City Life: Harrisburg’s problems are many, but its unique urban amenities still attract, keep residents.

March 15, 2013 | by Kerry Royer

When Karen Lewis, a designer in Boston, realized she needed to relocate to within a 2 hour drive of her family in Maryland, she determined four criteria for the next place she would live:

A really amazing coffeehouse.

A bookstore in which to get lost.

A diverse grocery market.

A cinema with varied offerings.

Lewis drew a 2 hour drive radius around her mother’s home and set out to discover a new city. After much research and eliminating other areas, she chose Harrisburg basically due to the ease of travel in the corridor between Boston, New York and Baltimore. She wasn’t in the city more than a day when she found: Little Amps Coffee Roasters, The Midtown Scholar Bookstore, The Broad Street Market and the Midtown Cinema.

And they were all within walking distance of a three-story row house in the process of being lovingly refurbished and just about to hit the market. Lewis was standing at a Green Street intersection trying to get a sense of the vibe of the city when, just by happenstance, she met David Butcher, president of WCI Partners, a company committed to purchasing, restoring and re-selling historic homes in the city. She looked a bit lost to him, and he asked if she needed any help. Amidst their chatting, she told him she was in Harrisburg trying to “smoke it out” to see if she could see herself moving here.

He said, “If you are not afraid to get in the car of a stranger you just met on the street corner, I can show you a house that we are about to list.”

Butcher unlocked the door of a historic, 1600 block Green Street home, sturdy and light all at the same time. At one time, an architect owned the home and, long ago, he put in skylights to open up the second floor. He built a deck around a magnificent tree in the backyard that rises higher than the homes clustered around it.

Kristine Werley of Urban Interiors, a city-focused design consulting company, was charged with the renovation of the home, and her skill makes it feel contemporary and open while paying homage to the character one can only find in an old home, Lewis said. “I loved Werley’s sense of combining old and new to make a space that is interesting, charming and practical all at the same time.”

To Lewis, it echoed the feel of Harrisburg neighborhoods.

She knew that she needed a city to thrive, but she found a deeper connection to Harrisburg. As a designer, Lewis studied patterns of public places and combined her learning with landscape planning and garden design. She developed a keen eye for effective use of parks and open space.

She learned that Harrisburg was part of the early 20^th century “City Beautiful” movement inspired by urban designer Frederick Law Olmsted. Harrisburg’s part was led by Boston landscape architect Warren Manning – a trainee of Olmsted’s – and Harrisburg citizen Mira Lloyd Dock.

“City Beautiful” implemented modern foundations of urban planning and design to create beautiful, spacious and orderly cities that improved open space and quality of life. The design also was meant to inspire residents toward more civic involvement. Some examples of other cities that employed this framework were Washington, D.C., Seattle, Denver and Dallas. Central Park in New York showcases this design today, as do areas along the Charles River in Boston.

“It clicked for me that Harrisburg was aligned with all of my favorite cities in America. It’s no wonder I felt right at home instantly,” said Lewis.

Despite the city’s highly publicized problems with municipal finances and sensationalized crime reporting, Lewis was not deterred. “If you watch the news, you would think that New York City is the worst place to live on the planet. It’s all relative,” she said. She is used to hearing that kind of reporting, living in an urban setting most of her life. “I try to take a big-picture approach.”

Lewis also met nearly all of her neighbors during the whole moving process, so she instantly had a cache of people welcoming her to the city.

“There’s no better protection than a nosy neighbor,” said Jeff Couzens, a block south on Green Street. Couzens, a recently retired forensic accountant with the state Gaming Control Board, has lived in an elegant 1880s-era home on Green Street for more than a decade.

For the most part, the street is quiet, illuminated by window lights, streetlights and the warm buzz of the marquee of the Midtown Cinema across the street. People know each other; they shovel each other’s walkways in the snow. Aside from that, there is scant maintenance. “No lawn,” he says, sweeping his arm up and down the block dotted with decorative planters holding potted plants.

In the time Couzens has lived in the area with his wife, Jo Devlin, a psychotherapist, he has seen many properties bought and fixed up. The introduction of the bookstore, a Harrisburg Area Community College satellite campus and new office space is making it even more of a desirable location. “When the new courthouse gets built, we’ll likely see another jump in real estate prices,” he said. Funding for the construction of the more than $110 million federal courthouse, slated to be located at N. 6th and Reily Streets, is currently tied up in Congress.

A Philadelphia native, Couzens moved to the midstate for a job with the attorney general’s office. As an accountant, he knew it was smarter to buy than rent, especially with the home prices at the time. He was drawn to the city and all that it has to offer. By comparison to other major Pennsylvania cities, he finds Harrisburg clean, quiet and safe. “We live in a grand home,” he said. “And it’s cheap.”

There is plenty of street parking, and he has a garage behind the back patio. “We can get a car in there diagonally, even though it was built for a buggy.” It’s a small price to pay for a home with original hardwood floors, bay windows and a rustic brick wall adding character to carved woodwork and historic touches. The home was featured during a Harrisburg home tour in 2006.

A short walk leads Couzens and Devlin to the banks of the Susquehanna. The vista expands north and south. Couzens said that the most beautiful he has ever seen the river, ironically, was during the flood of September 2011. The couple’s house, just blocks from the Susquehanna’s banks, is not in the floodplain. They decided to walk to the river to check out the rising waters. “The current rushed by, the whole city was in a fog, and we stared at the lights across the bridge. It was captivating,” he said.

Just around the corner, on the 200 block of Verbeke, is the home of David Bixler, a York native. Evenings after work as an IT analyst with the Pennsylvania Medical Society, he likes to take a run on the path along the river. He runs north out of Midtown if he wants a quiet scenic run; south if he wants to see other people and end up in the picturesque Shipoke neighborhood. He likes it best in the winter when the sun is setting and he can hear the ice shifting in the shallows of the water.

In summer, Bixler said there is a natural camaraderie among his neighbors. They take in baseball games on City Island, go to gallery walks together and informally hang out. They easily can walk downtown to the many bars and restaurants. “Where I grew up, everything was a 20- to 30-minute car ride away. I chose to buy a home in the city where I could easily get anywhere I wanted to go,” he said.

And sense of community is unrivaled, as neighbors pay attention to one another. Among his neighbors, the only crime incident he can remember in the last few years is one house that was broken into and, within 20 minutes, one of his neighbors phoned him to tell him about it.

Ray Davis, a local RE/MAX realtor for more than 20 years, said he doesn’t just sell Harrisburg, he lives it. He spent 14 years in Midtown and the last dozen years in Uptown. What draws him to Harrisburg is the same sense of community that most Midtown, Olde Uptown, Engleton and downtown dwellers feel. “There’s a vibrancy here created by diversity and energy. I would just melt in the suburbs,” he said laughing.

Harrisburg has had somewhat of a renaissance over the last two decades, with a lot of community involvement, not just with the homes, but socially. “Residents are going to local events. They hold neighborhood yard sales, spaghetti dinners, turkey dinners, and they are participating in interesting projects like painting the fireplugs. The list goes on,” he said.

Lewis summed it up best, “It’s at the right stage to flourish. There is enough done for a strong framework. People are committed to their sense of place. It’s on the up and up as a city.”

Where Governors Lived: The chief executive’s residence has changed many times.

March 15, 2013 | by Jason Wilson

Harrisburg has been the state capital since 1812, but Pennsylvania’s governors have only had an official residence for a portion of the last 200 years.

From Gov. Snyder through Gov. Pollock, Pennsylvania’s chief executive did not have “official” living quarters in Harrisburg and would instead rent rooms or apartments in the city from which to conduct business. In 1858, the state first appropriated $11,000 for the purchase and furnishing of a residence for the governor. This house, originally located at S. 2nd and Chestnut streets, was used until 1864 when a house was purchased at 311 N. Front St. and converted into a mansion.

Gov. John White Geary added a second identical house and also a false façade, which made the mansion appear as one large home. By the 1880s, the term “Keystone Hall” was used to describe the governor’s official residence. During the 19^th century, “Keystone Hall” served as both residence and office for the governor and his staff, as there was no official area for the governor in the old Hills Capitol.

Over time, the mansion underwent numerous renovations and additions. In 1894 with the completion of the Executive, Library and Museum Building, future governors finally had an official office and reception room. In 1906 with the completion of the current Capitol, the governor’s offices were moved to the second floor of the building’s south wing, while “Keystone Hall” still served as the official residence. Governors also began using a converted summer home at Fort Indiantown Gap (now the lieutenant governor’s residence).

By the late 1940s, it was apparent that “Keystone Hall” was becoming a bit dated and plans were made to build a new mansion, but World War II halted construction. After the war, the summer residence at Fort Indiantown Gap was used as the primary residence until the current Georgian-style home was completed. Designed by architect George Ewing, the building occupies 28,600 square feet and has 32 rooms. It was completed in 1968 and has served eight governors since that time. The old mansion at 311 N. Front St. was demolished in the early 1960s.

Jason Wilson is a research historian for the Capitol Preservation Committee.

How Are We Doin’, Harrisburg?: Just like New York, our city can come back from the brink.

March 15, 2013 | by Bruce P. Weber

A city deeply in debt; an infrastructure crisis brought on by years of neglect; a crime rate at epidemic levels; a population demoralized by poor past political leadership and a recalcitrant refuse problem.

Sound familiar? Harrisburg 2013, of course.

But also New York, circa 1977, when Ed Koch was elected mayor for the first of his three terms.

At Koch’s funeral last month, the current mayor, Michael Bloomberg, said of him, “The New York that Ed inherited is almost unimaginable today. There was crime, a broken government and whole neighborhoods that looked like they had been bombed out in an air raid.”

But Mayor Bloomberg also said, ‘”He restored the arc of our city’s history. He reminded us why we loved New York, and he inspired us to fight for it.”

Harrisburg had its Ed Koch, so to speak. That was former Mayor (for Life) Stephen Reed, another man married to his politics. He too helped re-engage and re-inspire a demoralized population devastated by years of crisis—from race riots to floods to its citizenry fleeing to the suburbs—by aiding in the re-imagining of the downtown business district, drawing regionally attractive entertainment options like minor league baseball into the city’s borders and using modern financing mechanisms to support significant new development for the first time in almost a generation.

It is hard not to see the similarities between the two cities and the two men. Unfortunately, the differences are just as stark.

Harrisburg didn’t have the advantage of New York’s world-class cultural cachet or tax income derived from a booming 1980s Wall Street to support a declining residential tax base along with a large percentage of tax-exempt municipal properties and non-profit entities.

And although Mayor Reed and Mayor Koch both had pugnacious personalities, Reed detested dialogue while Koch once said, “If you agree with me on nine out of 12 issues, vote for me. If you agree with me on 12 out of 12 issues, see a psychiatrist.”

And that is the root of much of the ongoing dysfunction that emanates from the halls of Harrisburg. Under Reed, the idiom of “my way or the highway” became a de-facto rule of law. Even now, there’s too often an attitude of coddling or conflict with city government, rather than one of cooperation and coordination. That’s how we got a bungled retrofit of the Resource Recovery Facility, a structural deficit untended for a decade or more, an emaciated city workforce that is simultaneously overworked and overprotective of its perfunctory prerogatives and a haze of officialdom that easily confuses the average citizen attempting to find even the simplest of answers to basic governing questions.

However, it is undeniable that there’s momentum for change and renewal in the collective Harrisburg ethos. Granted it will take the re-invention of the city’s governmental and schooling structures to conjure the skeleton key that will unlock the doors of sustainable and scalable economic development. However, there is a grassroots energy beginning to percolate in neighborhoods across the city. Perhaps it’s only fool’s gold, just the nature of social media or that feeling of freedom when there is little to lose. And, so far, its effects are difficult to quantify with any meaningful metrics.

But as evidenced by Today’s the Day, Lighten Up Harrisburg, a coalescing the City Beautiful 2 movement, the Green Urban Initiative, The MakeSpace and countless other nascent initiatives and small business endeavors, it feels as if the city’s communal corpus had been hibernating and is only now reawakening and stretching its municipal muscles, slowly strengthening its civic connective tissue that is sorely needed to support the bureaucratic backbone of government. Perhaps, in time, Harrisburg will even be muscular enough to reach back and pull forward those same attributes that made it one of the most thriving, vibrant and progressive cities in the early 20^th century (for more details, read “City Contented, City Discontented,” available at your local library or bookstore).

I realize that some readers will think “maybe in NYC, but that could never happen here.” True, it will require cooperation, dedication and commitment from all the city’s constituencies: local officials and state actors; corporate entities and small businesses; daily commuters and all-day citizens; community activists and nonprofit agencies.

After all, it did take New York a long time to come back from its brink. I should know. I lived there in the mid-‘90s, when the city was transitioning from the most dangerous big city in America to its safest, and yet I still couldn’t get a cab to take me from Manhattan to Brooklyn. Culture change takes time.

I am also sure those same cynical sentiments of doubt were communicated to Mayor Koch when he first took office. But he just kept on with his optimistic disposition, famously greeting constituents with the question, “How am I doin’?” Perhaps, if Mayor Reed had taken the same approach to governing that Mayor Koch had, Harrisburg’s financial health and his legacy wouldn’t find itself so badly damaged today.

So Harrisburg, don’t forget: we’re all in this together.

Stay focused, but stay accountable, both to the task at hand and to each other.

Change—of any kind—is sure to be chaotic. It will be uneven and at times seem stuck in reverse.

In our quest to make this city a more vibrant, healthy and safe environment in which to live, we just need to keep moving forward with our individual and mutual efforts, and remember—every so often—to stop and ask ourselves, “How are WE doin’?”

Bruce P. Weber currently serves as a member of Harrisburg City Council and can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @btrain12.

An Afternoon at Pomeroy’s: From the tea room perch, a child could watch the world pass by.

March 15, 2013 | by Florence Ditlow

The American department store era started in the late 1800s with many-storied buildings large enough to display furnishings, clothing, toiletries and gifts. This mode of store downtown thrived in every large city from 1900 to the 1980s, when it succumbed to the suburban mall. In Harrisburg, the Pomeroy’s department store included something even more special: a tea room, a lunch place for employees, neighbors and foot-weary shoppers.

Patterning themselves after English tea rooms, many department stores had tea rooms of a more palatial nature, high-ceilinged rooms apart from the business traffic. Instead, Pomeroy’s installed its tea room on the mezzanine level, hovering above the busy main floor. The room was narrow with windows adjacent to each booth, so one could gaze over the heads of unsuspecting shoppers, a welcome amusement for the antsy child or adult awaiting lunch.

I was about six years old when I went with Mom and my sister up the stairway to have lunch in the tea room. The line for a booth was often crowded at noon, but this didn’t worry us. We were ready for a rare treat—plus, fast food wasn’t yet known. It wasn’t so much the homemade soup, which the wise cook had loaded with corn and potatoes, or the toasted cheese with the crust cut off, or the orange ice sherbet served in a silver pedestal cup. Pomeroy’s was special because the hideaway was a world apart and a respite from the usual.

A waitress in a starchy gray dress welcomed us, offering my mother a cup of coffee while I looked at the purple-typed menu sheathed in plastic. Accompanied by some unidentifiable instrumental serenade overhead, she took our orders and then filled every coffee cup at the next table. I was reminded to keep my elbows off the table and to chew my food: “If you don’t do it, who will?”

We talked about our errands, then, looking out the window, we saw a hand truck unloading boxes, ladies in stylish hats, a man surveying the tie counter while his wife tried on rhinestone clip style earrings…so much to see from our vantage point.

The hostess recognized Mom and stopped by to say hello in the midst of the bustling lunch traffic. Of course, this was the era before burger chains, before talk of cholesterol, when shopping was often the highlight of the month, and there was a sugar bowl on every table.

The disappearance of Pomeroy’s and other “ladies’ lunch” establishments apparently encouraged tea mavens to open up separate, standalone tea rooms offering an atmosphere I would describe as destinations for “afternoon ritual.” These places, with their many varieties of tea and accompaniments like beautiful sandwiches and desserts, today serve as a fuel station for the adult soul. However, they could never spark the imagination of a child, wowed by a view of the busy world of grown-ups, that Pomeroy’s once did.

Florence Ditlow, a Harrisburg native, is author of “The Bakery Girls,” a novel based on the lives of unique women and their adventures in Harrisburg. Contact the author to share memories at www.thebakerygirls.net.

Christmas Past

December 22, 2012 | by William Parkin

Growing up in Harrisburg in the late ‘40s through the early ‘60s, I saw the city as a vibrant community center. No matter in what area you lived, your religious affiliation or economic or social group, there were many shared experiences. This, I believe, was especially true during the Christmas holiday season.

The holiday season started in my family with Thanksgiving, dinner with aunts, uncles and cousins. The day’s highlight, besides the turkey, was the traditional William Penn versus John Harris football game. Our family had graduates from both schools and this made for a lively day.

After Thanksgiving, the season jumped into high gear with the holiday parade – floats, balloon characters that were usually second or third recycling from a larger city, bands, and of course, Santa. Being uptowners we marched with the William Penn Band in our glorious black and orange uniforms. Band Director Willet McCord marched beside us with the band playing “Tiger Rag” and other holiday favorites.

As the season progressed, we would make the annual pilgrimage downtown to see Pomeroy’s Department Store holiday windows with animated displays, the painted winter scenes outside Fellers’ clothing store, Santa in Bowman’s Department Store basement, as well as numerous sidewalk Santas ringing their bells.

And of course, the must-see car ride to Holly Street, illuminated from one end to the other with the brightest Christmas lights imaginable. Caroling season began, with some church groups renting one of the Harrisburg Railways’ open air buses to visit shut-ins and sing carols.

As December passed by agonizingly slowly, Christmas cards and packages from out-of-town relatives would arrive. Cards, with mail delivered twice a day, were promptly opened, read and displayed by taping them around the archway leading to the living room. Packages were an entirely different story. They were to be kept unopened until Christmas Day, but that was extremely difficult. They were shaken or the wrapping moved just a tiny bit to peak inside for an ongoing guessing game. If we had not persuaded our parents to let us open just one gift ahead of time, those packages would certainly have looked awful by Christmas morning.

Cookies associated (or not) with the holiday were a family activity with grandmothers, aunts and sometimes fathers participating. Mother was in charge. The kitchen for one Saturday in December became a bakeshop rivaling Green’s or Grundon’s bakeries. After a trip to Zimmerman’s, the Broad Street Market and the Food Fair at Kline Village for supplies, baking began in earnest. Sugar cookies with sprinkles, lace cookies, chocolate chip, butter cookie cutouts and others were baked. Sand tarts were the coup-de-grace with Father rolling them paper thin. Colored sugar was put on them prior to baking. With samples for everyone, they were then put into tins to be brought out on Christmas day and for company. I will admit that it was not unknown for me to sneak into the back stairway to help myself to a chocolate chip cookie.

Shopping was in full swing by mid-December. Lee’s 5¢ 10¢ 25¢ Store in the uptown shopping district was a favorite with its rows of merchandise. Costume jewelry with bright sequins was a potential gift for Mother. If my brother and I chose them, she proudly wore them, much to our delight. As we got older, we expanded to Baker & Price or Pomeroy’s for “better” items such as Hummel figurines.

Being a boy, perusing trains and models at Vince’s Hobby Shop on Locust Street or toy soldiers and sporting equipment at Shenk & Tittle was a must. Another regular stop was Joe the Motorist’s Friend to look at guns and fishing equipment, and to get a Santa pin. Many of us hurried home from school to watch Joe’s Santa on TV. No holiday shopping was complete without visiting the Keystone Store’s toy-and-game-packed second floor.

As Christmas Day grew closer, our thoughts increasingly centered on decorating the pine tree yet-to-be-purchased. In earlier years, a decorated tree with a modest train yard magically appeared on Christmas morning. As we grew older, we were included in the hunt for the perfect tree at the perfect price.

Trees weren’t put up so far ahead of time. We would go to Broad Street Market no earlier than a week before Christmas. Trees lined the outside of the two market houses, from 3^rd Street to 6^th Street. A 10-foot tree was usually selected and erected close to the living room’s front window. Boxes of decorations were retrieved from yearlong hiding places as we rediscovered colored balls, tinsel, lights, and assorted decorations. Father would decorate the higher portions of the tree and supervise the lower portions that we decorated.

Christmas Eve came. Anticipation grew as we walked to church for the evening service, traditionally ending at midnight. With many Merry Christmas-greetings shared, we would head home to put the gifts we purchased under the tree for the next morning. We were allowed to open one gift, usually from the out-of-town relatives. Then off to bed, looking forward to Christmas Day with family, gifts, and the traditional dinner.

Thanksgiving to Christmas, starting and ending with family, leaves many fond holiday memories.

William Parkin was born and raised in Harrisburg.

Celebrate History and the Holidays at Fort Hunter

December 22, 2012 | by Stephanie Kalina-Metzger

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

December 20, 2012 | by Jason Wilson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

November 27, 2012 | by Jess Hayden

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

November 27, 2012 | by Alan Kennedy-Shaffer

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alan Kennedy-Shaffer is president of Harrisburg Hope.

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

November 24, 2012 | by Lawrance Binda

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

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

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

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

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

Tom and Amy understand their good fortune.

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

McGrath’s was exactly the opposite.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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