Tag Archives: Hershey

Soldier Stories: Veterans share their memories at the Central Pennsylvania World War II roundtable.

June 30, 2017 | by Robert Naeye

Guam, 1945

Charlie Lloyd is in a race against time.

As vice president of the Central Pennsylvania World War II Roundtable, Lloyd has the increasingly difficult task of finding veterans to share their war experiences at the group’s monthly meetings.

Most of these men are now in their early 90s. Nationally, only 620,000 of the war’s veterans remain alive, and they are dying at a rate of one every four minutes.

“I feel a sense of urgency getting these guys,” said Lloyd. “The clock is ticking to get these stories out. In the future, we’ll have to rely on authors and historians. But they won’t have the same impact.”

The roundtable’s events are free and open to the public. They’re held at Grace United Methodist Church in Hummelstown, often attracting as many as 400 people. A typical format includes opening statements, followed by featured speakers and audience questions.

Many of the talks elicit powerful emotions. In a recent meeting, U.S. army soldier Don Greenbaum described how his unit liberated the Nazi death camp at Dachau. Ernie Gross, a Romanian Jew who was liberated at Dachau, also spoke. Both now live near Philadelphia.

In another meeting, 92-year-old Milton Dienes of King of Prussia shared photographs he took in Nagasaki just 90 days after an atomic bomb destroyed much of the Japanese city. Dienes was a U.S. Army Air Corps photo reconnaissance officer based in Guam whose unit was sent into the city to document the devastation. He and the group took photos for two days amidst the rubble.

The military later destroyed the photos and negatives, so only the pictures that Dienes kept for himself survive. Some show industrial buildings reduced to twisted metal, but with smokestacks still standing. Others show a train station in operation.

“I didn’t take many pictures of people since many of them were burned from radiation,” Dienes said.

One notable meeting, from 2015, featured Harold Billow of Mount Joy, who might be the sole living survivor of the infamous Malmedy Massacre, in which German SS Panzer troops slaughtered 87 American prisoners in a Belgian field in December 1944. Billow survived by lying face down in the snow-covered field, playing dead even when a German kicked him in the back.

“Anyone who showed signs of life, they shot point blank in the head to finish him off,” Billow recalled.

Meetings run the gamut of experiences in World War II. During the January meeting, Chuck Klein of Harrisburg described his service on the USS Wasatch, which helped launch amphibious invasions of Japanese-held islands while serving as Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s command ship. Klein described seeing MacArthur land on a beach in New Guinea, but then, realizing no cameras were present, went back to the boat, only to return once several photographers were on shore. April’s speaker, Kenneth Fidler, spoke about surviving after a Japanese kamikaze plane hit his ship off of the island of Okinawa.

A Blessing
The Central PA WW2 Roundtable is an offshoot of the Hershey Civil War Roundtable. The Civil War group started in 1992, motivated by a Ken Burns documentary on public television. About a decade later, club member Fred Taylor suggested starting a World War II Roundtable “because we still have the guys.”

The group’s first president, William Jackson, invited John Light, a Dickinson College mathematics professor, to speak at the initial meeting, held in March 2003 at the Hershey Public Library. Light served in the same infantry division as Jackson’s father, who perished late in the war in Germany. That meeting attracted about 25 people. One of the early speakers was Richard Winters of Hershey, commander of Easy Company, the paratrooper unit featured in the book and HBO series “Band of Brothers.”

The growth of the World War II Roundtable inspired the 2013 founding of the Central Pennsylvania Vietnam Round Table. This group meets on the second Thursday of the month at the VVA Capital Chapter 542 building in Harrisburg.

Lloyd, a Vietnam-era veteran of the Air National Guard, said that he got involved in the World War II Roundtable about six years ago. In past years, he easily could find speakers in the Harrisburg metro area. But with fewer and fewer living veterans, he has widened his search, going as far away as the Delaware River. Lloyd said that he drives to a veteran’s home to brief him on how to present his story and to make sure he can engage a large audience. He also transports speakers to and from the meetings.

Lloyd is assisted by president Kirk Gibson, who served in an Army airborne reconnaissance company from 1961 to 1964.

“Everything we do is on a volunteer basis,” Gibson said. “We all have things to do, but it’s a fun group of people.”

Lloyd likened meeting the veterans to “shaking hands with living history.”

“A lot of these veterans didn’t expect to come back,” said Lloyd. “They got on with their lives and didn’t talk about the war very much until their later years. To meet them personally is a blessing.”

The World War II Roundtable is held the first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at Grace United Methodist Church, 433 E. Main St., Hummelstown. For more information, visit www.centralpaww2roundtable.org.

Author: Robert Naeye

Student Scribes: Welcome to Indian Echo Caverns.

May 31, 2017 | by Sara K. Stevenson

Can You Hear Me Now?

I have worked as a tour guide for almost a year, and the craziest request I’ve ever gotten from a guest was: “Can you please take a photo of me and Bruce by the lake?” Bruce just happened to be a small Pomeranian who quietly growled at me every time I got close to him. Other guides, ones who have been there much longer than me, have stories about bats who have flown through their tours and guests who have bumped their heads on the low-hanging formations we beg everyone to look out for. I’ve heard heart-warming stories of guests who have traveled across the country for the chance to experience our caverns and scratch another adventure off their bucket list, and I have found myself wondering when I would have the chance to experience something like that. Never did I think my most heartfelt moment would come from a third-grade boy visiting the caverns on a field trip.

As I came down the path to meet my fourth school group of the day, my head pounded and my body craved another venti iced white mocha from Starbucks. The elementary school kids screamed at the top of their lungs as they ran circles around the freshly-blossomed trees and climbed on the playground equipment; one boy screeched like a pterodactyl as he banged his fists against the plastic drums, the sounds piercing my eardrums. I sighed heavily and checked my watch. Another four hours until I could go home. Four hours.

I counted heads as I squeezed my way to the front of the pack: 22 students, one teacher, and four parents. A full tour. As I turned to face the group, quietly clearing my sore throat, a woman approached me.

“Are you our tour guide?”

I refrained from rolling my eyes. I wanted to ask her who else would be holding a flashlight, wearing a STAFF shirt, and looking utterly exhausted? Instead, I smiled. “Yup. That’s me!”

“Excellent. This is probably something you don’t get asked often, but would you be willing to wear this?”

She extended her hand and showed me a small blue square with a small black microphone attached to it. “We have a student who is hard of hearing. Would you be willing to wear this microphone so that he can hear you better? He’s been waiting all year to come visit the caverns, and we want him to have the best possible experience.”

As she instructed me on how to secure the box to my belt loop and the microphone to the collar of my sweatshirt, I felt an unexplainable feeling in my stomach. In my chest. This was definitely something new for me, definitely something I’d never been asked before, but it was exciting. I was being given the chance to give this boy an amazing experience at the caverns because I was willing to wear the microphone.

“Thank you so much,” the woman whispered as we finished adjusting the microphone. “We were on another small field trip last week, and the person there refused to wear the microphone because it would get in the way. This means a lot.”

“Not a problem,” I replied with a smile. “I can’t see how this would get in my way; I’m more than happy to wear it for him.”

My feelings of exhaustion melted away and I felt energized and awake. “Welcome to Indian Echo Caverns. My name is Sara, and I’ll be your tour guide today.”

Immediately, a boy in the front of the group raised his hand, and immediately I felt my irritation returning. I hadn’t said anything that warranted a question. I took a deep breath. “What’s up?”

“I can’t hear you.”

The woman who had helped me with the microphone hurried to my side. The boy turned to her, a slight frown etched on his face. “I can’t hear her.”

“Is everything okay?”

She turned to me and apologized. “I must not have the microphone loud enough; he can’t hear you.”

As she fidgeted with the microphone, I thought about the boy’s face. He looked frightened. Terrified. What would happen if we couldn’t get the microphone working so he could hear me? The woman swore under her breath—was I supposed to hear that?—as her fingers pressed buttons on the blue box connected to my belt loop. I waited, anxious, until she sighed and told me to try again.

I took a deep breath and smiled again. “Welcome to Indian Echo Caverns.” I paused and glanced at the little boy. “Can you hear me now?”

His frown stretched into a smile and he nodded his head. I returned his smile and finished telling them the rules. I led the group down the stairs to the Swatara Creek, listening as the students chatted excitedly about their first time being in the caverns.

I gave six tours before that day was done, and I was mentally and physically exhausted. My legs felt like Jell-O, and my brain was buzzing with stories from the caves. But rather than feeling irritated and annoyed, I felt lighthearted. I felt like with just that one group—that one little boy—I had made a difference. I still feel a sense of pride and accomplishment when I think of that tour, and I know that I’m going to think about that third-grade boy every time I stand in front of a group and say:

“Welcome to Indian Echo Caverns!”

Sara K. Stevenson is working on her master’s degree in humanities at Penn State Harrisburg.

A Troubadour Wanders In: Folk legend John Prine pays us a visit.

February 28, 2017 | by Jess Hayden

John Prine, the legendary troubadour who writes powerful songs about common, everyday people, has often been compared to Mark Twain.

“It’s the combination of being that tender, wise and astute, mixed with his homespun sense of humor,” longtime friend Bonnie Raitt has said.

Like Twain, Prine is good at delivering a message in such a way that puts even the weightiest statements across with remarkable ease. As a result, his catalog of songs feels like treasured anecdotes shared between trusted friends.

This month, you have the chance to see Prine as he gives a rare central Pennsylvania performance at the Hershey Theatre.

Now 70 years old and a two-time cancer survivor, Prine can look back at a career that has spanned nearly five decades.

Considered to be one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine has won plenty of awards, including a Grammy in 1991 for his album “The Missing Years” and another in 2004 for “Beautiful Dreamer.” In 2003, Prine was given a Lifetime Achievement Award for songwriting by the UK’s BBC Radio 2 and was also inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He has recorded with some of the biggest names in music, including Johnny Cash, Bonnie Raitt, the Everly Brothers, John Denver, Kris Kristofferson, Carly Simon, Ben Harper and Joan Baez.

Prine and his three brothers grew up in the Chicago suburb of Maywood, Ill., but he always felt rooted to the town of Paradise, Ky., where his parents were raised and he spent summers as a boy.

The town, which later disappeared when the Green River was dammed to allow boats to reach the mines owned by the Peabody Coal Co., became the subject of his popular song “Paradise.” The poignant lyrics of the song’s chorus are:

“Daddy won’t you take me back to Muhlenberg County,
along the Green River where Paradise lays.
I’m sorry my son but you’re too late in asking.
Mr. Peabody’s coal train has hauled it away.”

Prine served in the Army during the Vietnam War and was a mailman for five years before beginning his musical career in Chicago. Delivering mail gave him the time to hone his craft and, on rainy days, he has said that he would often crawl inside a postal relay box to eat a ham sandwich and work on a song. In the late 1960s, he began to sing at open mic evenings at the Fifth Peg on Armitage Avenue, where he was eventually offered a steady gig. By chance, the great film critic Roger Ebert, who worked for the Chicago-Sun-Times, saw Prine’s show and wrote in a review that he was a “great songwriter.”

Prine had become a central figure in the Chicago folk revival by the time he got his first big break. His friend, singer-songwriter Steve Goodman, had brought Kris Kristofferson to a club where Prine was playing. Liking what he saw, Kristofferson invited Prine to play with him in New York City. Soon after, Prine was offered a contract with Atlantic Records, recording his debut album. As fans of John Prine know, this album was jam-packed with some of his best songs, including “Sam Stone,” “Paradise,” “Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore,” and, perhaps most famously, “Angel from Montgomery.”

The album was an instant success. Prine has gone on to record 22 additional albums and has written numerous songs that have been covered by artists such as Bonnie Raitt, The Highwaymen, My Morning Jacket, The Avett Brothers, Old Crow Medicine Show, Lambchop and Sara Watkins.

Today, Prine lives in Nashville with his wife Fiona and their three sons. Once asked if writing so many classics early in his career had put pressure on him, Prine responded that it had, but now he’s just glad that his old songs feel as fresh as they do. As his fans agree, John Prine songs have no expiration date. His lyrical storylines about people of humble means, basic desires and imperfect qualities will continue to be relevant for years to come.

John Prine performs March 31 at 8 p.m. at the Hershey Theatre, 15 E. Caracas Ave., Hershey. Ticket prices are $62.35 to $102.35. For tickets and information call 1-800-840-9227 or visit www.hersheyentertainment.com/hershey-theatre.

Author: Jess Hayden

It’s Not All That Bad: A response to the column, “Printing Pressure”

October 26, 2016 | by William S. Jackson

Illustration by Rich Hauck.

In the October 2016 edition of TheBurg, Editor Larry Binda bemoaned the decline of the newspaper business and the projected end to some publications.

He decried the woes of the local daily (turned three days a week), The Patriot-News, and its something-to-be-desired online product, PennLive, version of the news.

I couldn’t agree with him more, but please don’t tar the entire newspaper industry with one brush.

Reason? Here at The Sun, which covers Hershey, Hummelstown, Palmyra and the surrounding townships, things are just fine. How fine? In 2007, when wife Rosemary and I sold The Sun, then covering Hershey, Hummelstown and Lower Dauphin County, we had just experienced the best year of the 37 years we owned the paper. This was in spite of the fact that The Patriot-News was more than 10 times larger than us and still had full-time reporters covering our coverage area.

Today, The Patriot-News’ circulation is less than half of what it was in 2007, and The Sun’s circulation has increased by 44 percent, with advertising revenue at record levels.

Why? Because we never forgot our mission. I had a standard phrase when we owned, and I edited The Sun—nobody gave a damn what I thought about Red China. They wanted to know what I thought about the Derry Township supervisors (the governing body that runs Hershey).

We recognized that no one bought The Sun to get their national, international or even state news. They wanted to know what was happening right around here and about their neighbors. You know—the mom and pop stuff—local government, school news, church news, local high school and Little League sports, police news, who bought and sold their house, etc. Also, lots of really good pictures and, oh yes, four-color availability throughout the paper. In other words, all the news they couldn’t get anywhere else.

We sit right in the middle between The Patriot-News and the Lebanon Daily News, and both papers left us with lots of local news they didn’t cover.

The dailies just didn’t get it. They continue to fill their front pages with national and international news, which most readers got last night on the television 11 o’clock news and pushed state, county and local news back further and further in their product with less and less detailed coverage.

Take The Patriot-News, for example. They are sitting right here in the seat of state government and should be the authority on what is happening on the Hill in all branches of state government. Yet that title belongs to the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News. That, plus the fact they seemingly haven’t yet realized half the population of Harrisburg city is black, but you’d never know it except in the police and crime reporting. African-American social news? What’s that?

To the east of The Sun, our circulation now exceeds that of the Lebanon Daily News, which is suffering some of the same maladies as The Patriot-News.

Yes, The Sun is fortunate. We only have three school districts and the Milton Hershey School to cover, while The Patriot-News probably has 10 times that many. We also have the Penn State M.S. Hershey Medical Center (now the area’s largest employer) and the Hershey Company, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts and Hershey Trust (now No. 2 employer), while The Patriot-News and Lebanon Daily News try to cover those and many more businesses, hospitals, etc. But we work with them—most have a PR person—and give them good, if not always to their liking, coverage.

Yet, for example, The Patriot-News continues to cut staff, even some of their best. Guess what? Some are now writing for The Sun. Not full-time, mind you, but part-time or as stringers. We also continue the program I started many years ago of utilizing budding young high school journalists, who get their first taste of the business with us and get some good clippings in the process for those college entrance interviews.

So, Editor Larry, it’s not all that bad. You point to the demise of your competition, Fly and Mode, as major competitors. And why? Because you’ve obviously done some market research and are producing a better product, especially under new Publisher J. Alex Hartzler. Your competitors, and ours, are just pumping out the same old product.

William S. Jackson is the former owner/editor of the Sun.

Editor’s Note: Editor Larry agrees with much of the author’s argument that some newspapers have made a critical mistake, both to their missions and their businesses, by dialing back local coverage. Like The Sun, TheBurg’s circulation and revenue figures will hit record highs this year.

No Kids? No Chocolate? No Problem! What’s a grown-up to do in Hershey?

May 31, 2016 | by Ellen Perlman

Tröeg’s Independent Brewing

It’s a town famous for children and chocolate.

So, I asked myself, “What would a grown-up do for an entire weekend in Hershey?” Then I set to find out.

The answer, as it turned out, was “a lot.” Over the course of two days, I packed in a brewery tour, a wine tasting and a massage. I visited an antique car museum and outlet stores.

The weekend did not lack for kiddies and candy. Both were everywhere. But there’s much more to a visit to the town that Milton Hershey built than accompanying screaming teens on rollercoasters or drooling over candy bars at Chocolate World.

Tranquil State

I began my adult-only weekend on a relaxing note—a massage at The Hotel Hershey. These spa services do not come cheap, but they include access to a fitness center, a quiet room and an aromatherapy room. In fact, when I checked in, I was told, “Feel free to enjoy the spa for as long as you like. We’re open until 8 p.m. tonight.”

If you insist!

I turned my hour-long massage into a three-hour indulgence, starting with a leisurely backstroke in the hotel pool under skylights I used to mark my distance to the wall. I de-stressed further with 15 minutes in the whirlpool. Only then did I make my way to my appointment, already relaxed instead of my usual—rushing from my car and arriving in a nick of time.

When the treatment was over, I floated in a Zen, post-massage state to the quiet room overlooking the hotel’s back gardens, joining others wearing butter-yellow robes just like mine.

I served myself peppermint tea and a chocolate chip muffin before sinking my tranquil self into a chair and picking up my Kindle to read a book. Nothing disrupted the peace. Not the people whispering to each other, not the sound of trail mix dropping into little plastic cups—and certainly not the chirping birds outside.

My next move was a rookie mistake. Realizing I had about an hour before meeting friends at the CrossWinds Winery, I decided to squeeze in a quick visit to the Tanger Outlets off Hershey Park Drive.

That revved me right back up as I scrambled to try on clothes and then, realizing I was running late, bolted out. Luckily, a tasting of five wines for $5 had a calming effect. As I slowed down again, sipping Rieslings, a Chambourcin and more, owner Linda Jansen happened in, chatting with the winery’s staff and visitors.

Jansen and her husband Ed have been winery owners for about a year, she said, and the experience has “been awesome.” The couple actually began growing grapes for others more than two decades ago but never expected to open a winery.

“Things just kind of fell into place,” she said.

It was a delight sampling the fruits of their labor, while listening to Jansen tell the story of how they happened on a house just outside Hershey that became their tasting room, allowing them to go from grape vendors to wine-sellers.

Autos & Ales

Our mellow winery visit served as a cocktail hour before dinner at The Mill, a four-level establishment in a red-brick building dating to 1880 that used to be a grain warehouse.

If I didn’t notice the building’s convenient location next to railroad tracks when we parked, I was reminded soon enough when a train sped by out back while we were dining.

First, I saw it out the window. Then I noticed the overhead lamps flicker momentarily. It was an intriguing reminder of the importance of a century-old mill having a good location to receive and send goods.

I was just as happy to have the 21st-century conveniences of a car and dinner made to order, and I soon turned back to relishing my English fish pie and, after that, the gooey ice-cream-on-waffle concoction that the three of us shared.

The next day brought more grown-up adventures.

My friends and I met up in the morning at the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum for a two-hour stroll through car, bus and motorcycle history. The museum houses vehicles both familiar and exotic—from the bus seen in the 1994 movie “Forrest Gump” to an enormous 1968 Chevy Bel Air Stageway station wagon to a crashed-up Volkswagen Beetle sporting a big “53” on the front that had starred in the “The Love Bug” in 1968 and the 1974 sequel “Herbie Rides Again.”

Part of the museum’s permanent collection is the Cammack Tucker Gallery, home to cars and parts from the Tucker, a car many people learned about from a 1988 movie called, “Tucker: The Man and His Dream.”

A 5-year-old boy with a special connection to the brand was visiting, accompanied by his mother and uncle.

“The little boy right here is named for the Tucker car,” said Tasha Mangin, his mother. “His dad’s obsessed with it and his grandfather was, too. So we came to see it.”

She pointed out the special feature of the Tucker—its three headlights.

From the museum, we took a short drive to Tröeg’s Independent Brewing. I’d made reservations for a 2:30 p.m. brewery tour a couple of weeks earlier. With room for only 10 people per group, the tours fill quickly.

The tasting room has a beer-hall feel and sports several long, shared tables in its large space. We managed to find a place to sit during the busy Sunday lunch hour by hovering near a family with young children who were finishing up at a table for four. The mother did her best to clean up spilled Cheerios, straw papers and other debris before departing apologetically. Cheerful brewery staff came along quickly with a broom and cloths and finished off the rest.

Children at a brewery? Yep, plenty of them. Tröeg’s welcomes children, even provides a kid’s menu. Being adults, we chose from a list of very grown-up entrees like mushroom and parsnip tart and cast iron chicken and pheasant pie.

Tröeg’s doesn’t provide table service. So, we elbowed up to the bar and then walked over to the “Snack Bar” to order, carrying our food and drinks back to our newly clean table.

My friends each ordered a beer, while I ordered a three-beer sampler—a French-style saison, an amber ale and a bock. That let us try five different beers among the three of us. We finished our lunch just in time for the 45-minute guided tour that included another four tastings—“three nice and packaged and one of them right out of the tank,” our guide Mike said.

The tour was packed with information about making beer, and we peeked into the machinery, passed around jars of hops so we could smell different types and learned fun facts such as that 30 percent of Tröeg’s beer is kegged.

Every week, Tröeg’s also produces at least one “scratch beer series” beer for customers to taste and has now produced more than 240 of them. The company uses these small batches as a way to try out new ingredients and brewing techniques. Although the scratch beers I tried had names, they also were numbered—220, 222 and 227. In the gift store on the premises, I had fun creating a six-pack of scratch beer varieties to take with me.

Later on, driving home, I reflected on my adventure and realized that it may be impossible in a kiddie-ruled town like Hershey to have a true grown-up weekend. I couldn’t even escape the little guys in a brewery! But that’s OK. It was enough to learn that Hershey has plenty to do for the over-21 set, even if you first have to push aside a few old Cheerios to put down your beer.

Going There

In recent years, more places have popped up in and around Hershey that appeal to adults. Here are a few places where you can start your own grown-up journey.

The Spa at The Hotel Hershey, 100 Hotel Rd., Hershey: 844-330-1797, www.chocolatespa.com

CrossWinds Winery, 621 Hershey Rd., Hummelstown: 717-566-3050, www.crosswindswinery.com

The Mill in Hershey, 810 Old W. Chocolate Ave., Hershey: 717-256-9965, www.themillinhershey.com

Antique Automobile Club Museum of America, 161 Museum Dr., Hershey: 717-566-7100, www.aacamuseum.org

Tröeg’s Independent Brewing, 200 E. Hershey Park Dr., Hershey: 717-534-1297, www.troegs.com

Color for a Cause: How one family’s struggle inspired the biggest race in the midstate.

May 31, 2016 | by Cathy Jordan

Noelle and Nicole Karnash

It started with the joyful news of a baby.

Twenty years ago, Nicole and Stan Karnash called their family to announce the birth of a healthy, beautiful daughter, Noelle. Six months later, though, something didn’t seem quite right.

“Noelle wasn’t looking toward my voice anymore,” Nicole said. “As time went on, I noticed she became—floppy—and missed developmental milestones.”

The couple called their pediatrician, and Noelle was diagnosed as delayed. She received early intervention but wasn’t improving.

With a second baby in tow, Nicole took Noelle to more doctors.

Noelle’s head wasn’t growing at a regular rate, and, at 2 years old, she had picked up a repetitive hand movement, constantly darting from mouth to hair.

“Feeding her became a nightmare because her hands were always in her mouth,” said Nicole.

Nicole and Noelle visited umpteen specialists before a correct diagnosis was made. A doctor stared at Noelle and said, “That movement with her hands—it’s stereotypical of Rett Syndrome.” That was just the beginning.

Getting to Yes

Rett Syndrome, named after the Austrian physician who first described the neurological developmental disorder, is a rare genetic mutation.

Found on the X chromosome, it’s the most severe disorder on the autism spectrum. Characterized by developmental regression, slowed head growth, distinctive hand movements and seizures, the diagnosis was clinical until the gene was discovered in 1999.

Through Rettsyndrome.org, Nicole met Kristy Kramer, a local woman whose daughter also had the disorder. Together, they kicked off the first Strollathon—a 1-mile walk to raise money and awareness—at Harrisburg’s City Island. Since then, Nicole has led four Strollathons, three galas and three Color Runs raising more than $500,000 for Rett Syndrome.

Wait—the Color Run? Yes, Nicole Karnash brought this 5K—one of the biggest races in the country—to central PA.

While playing Bunco one night in 2013, a fellow player mentioned that she had just completed a 5K in Baltimore called the Color Run. It sounded fun and exciting, but Nicole wasn’t sure if they would team up with a charity.

She filled out a form on their website, and they replied, saying that, even though they’re a for-profit organization, they prefer to partner with charities. The charity is paid for volunteers, keeps all sponsor donations and fees, and is eligible to receive money from ticket sales.

Nicole, along with the regional race director for the Color Run, visited the Farm Show complex, HACC, City Island and the Parkview Golf Course in Hershey (now a PIAA cross-country course). They settled on the latter because the adjacent Giant Center had the largest parking accommodations. Hershey, however, was concerned about traffic and the mess from colored cornstarch being thrown about the cross-country course. Ultimately, Hershey said yes, and Nicole’s real efforts began.

Towards a Cure

Starting from scratch, Nicole needed everything—sponsors, publicity, promotion. She also needed at least 200 volunteers for race day to work the gates, check in runners, hand out packets, throw color and toss prizes. Along the way, she had to continue explaining what a Color Run was and what Rett Syndrome was about. She heard the same question from Hershey, her sponsors and her volunteers: Would the tickets sell?

Sales opened, and the run sold out in seven days to 10,000 runners. They added Sunday, which sold out three weeks later to another 10,000.

“I didn’t expect that,” Nicole says.

She laughs.

“I had to be there Saturday morning at 4:30 a.m. with the Color Run people,” she says. “I remember, as the sun was coming up, a gazillion Port-a-Potties arrived on trucks, and then all these people started trickling in.”

She was determined to make the run handicapped accessible. Noelle communicates only through eye-gaze and is locked in a body that won’t allow her to express her needs. Despite needing 24-hour care, she is still a happy, sociable young woman. She enjoys outdoor strolls in her wheelchair, swimming, going to movies and music. However, as Noelle has gotten older, her body has outgrown the kiddie rides and children’s activities she enjoys.

“Fundraising has been the avenue where our family really connects,” said Nicole. “There are so few things we are able to do together, as a family, with a disabled child. We all went tubing over the summer. Oh…it was so hard, but worth every effort!”

After the race, the Color Run guys brought all the girls with Rett Syndrome on stage in their wheelchairs. Nicole addressed the crowd about how the money raised is helping to achieve breakthroughs, including the cure of Rett Syndrome in mice.

Sadly, that following January, Kristy and her family were killed in a car accident in Pittsburgh. Their deaths—and the tragic loss of her mentor—hit Nicole hard. Though stunned, she persevered in her efforts to carry on with a second Color Run. A third event will be held this month.

Charities have called Nicole, asking her what she did to raise so much money. The answer is simple—she has a passion called family. She took her passion to a degree she didn’t anticipate and has no doubt that, one day, she will receive a phone call and hear someone say, “We found a cure.”

The Color Run takes places June 4 and 5 at the Giant Center in Hershey. For more information, visit https://thecolorrun.com/locations/hershey-pa.

To learn more about Rett Syndrome or to make a donation, visit www.rettsyndrome.org.

Craft Cuisine: Christian DeLutis leads a kitchen perfectly paired with Troegs’ beer artistry.

April 29, 2016 | by Rebecca Oken

Photo by Dani Fresh.

On Good Friday this past March, Troegs Independent Brewing in Hershey was bustling as families and friends embraced the beginning of spring.

The malty aroma of brewing beer filled the echoey tasting room and the modestly named “Snack Bar.” Despite its location in an old warehouse, Troegs has a warm and welcoming atmosphere, a quality in which head chef Christian DeLutis takes pride.

“I feel like the room’s inviting,” he said. “It’s comfortable. It’s a place where you can sprawl out a little, even if it is busy.”

DeLutis, who is celebrating his fourth year at Troegs, grew up in Hummelstown in a big Italian family. Homemade food and wine were priorities and dining out was not.

“I didn’t have a good scope of what good food was outside of my grandmother’s cooking,” he said. “But I understood that food was important to bringing people together and happiness in life.”

Food Around Beer

DeLutis didn’t enter the profession right out of high school, as so many chefs do. He went to college in Pittsburgh with a goal of becoming an English teacher.

Meanwhile, he cooked for friends and worked in a restaurant, where he discovered his true passion for food. When a friend mentioned he should go to culinary school, DeLutis didn’t realize the option even existed.

He eventually enrolled at the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute in Pittsburgh and, after finishing school, took an internship at the five-star Harbor Court Hotel in Baltimore, where he was immersed in every facet of the restaurant industry. The hotel was large and semi-corporate but still privately owned, a setting that appealed to him. Over the course of five years there, he “went from putting a tomato at 12 o’clock on a salad for 5,000 plates in a wedding to being executive chef.”

DeLutis stayed in the Baltimore-Washington area for a little more than a decade, working in fine dining and learning about wine and craft cocktails. He came back to central PA for what he thought would be a pit stop on the way to another big city, taking a job at the now-closed Brew 22 in West Hanover Township.

“That was my first real exposure to craft beer,” he said.

In the process, he became familiar with Troegs, which, at the time, was outgrowing its Paxton Street location in Harrisburg and planning a move to Hershey.

During a phone interview for a position in Philadelphia, he received another call from Delaware restaurateur Matt Haley, whom the Troegner brothers had hired to help develop a new dining concept for the Hershey brewery, which had opened with scant food options.

Sixteen interviews with Haley and four years later, DeLutis can say he knows a bit more about craft beer now.

“I look at our beers as ingredients,” he said. “I try to create food around it.”

While he and his team occasionally cook with beer, the main goal is to pair the brews with complementary and contrasting foods. For example, a hoppy IPA would go well with a ripe peach, a combination that was on DeLutis’s mind lately as he planned dishes for the spring menu.

“I don’t use ‘farm-to-table’ very often or preach that, but we just do that,” he said. “I kind of create these pantries for each season that we always refer back to. And not only are they ingredients-based, but they might be feelings-based or nostalgia-based.”

Core Values

DeLutis prioritizes food that is made from scratch and is seasonal, although popular dishes like the brown butter popcorn, soft pretzel and five tons of French fries per week have become year-round staples.

“I think the rest of our menu is kind of always being sketched about and things erased and things penciled in and—just always open for discussion really,” he said.

DeLutis’s dishes also fit the time constraints of the Snack Bar’s fast-casual style, but don’t limit quality or creativity. That was an adjustment from his slower-paced fine dining background. He shifted his thinking to paper boats instead of ceramic plates, fewer garnishes and letting the ingredients speak for themselves, leaving room, of course, for the beer to shine.

DeLutis also feeds off of the enthusiasm of customers, as well as the greater philosophy at Troegs.

“What we grow towards really is cultivated by what people have to say about who we are,” he said. “I think it’s important, but we also really have our core values.”

DeLutis, who doubles as the company’s food and beverage director, said he values communication among everyone, from his five sous chefs to the in-house baker and butcher to the marketing department—and, naturally, to Chris and John Troegner themselves. He has his hands in many aspects of the Troegs operation—he designed the kitchen with special ovens to accommodate the extra-tall bread loaves.

Weekdays are spent doing behind-the-scenes office work, but, when Friday night comes, he’s on the floor, whether that means in the kitchen, interacting with guests, cleaning tables or pouring beer—wherever he’s needed.

An open kitchen and a facility that is designed for roaming and observing remind customers that Troegs doesn’t take itself too seriously. DeLutis wants the experience to feel like one where everyone is invited, from the family looking for a casual meal to the beer snob whose brain he can pick.

“Cooking is truly when I’m the happiest,” he said. “I try to be here a lot because I’m happy to be here.”

Troegs Independent Brewing is located at 200 E. Hersheypark Dr., Hershey. For more information, visit www.troegs.com.

The Wind at Their Backs: From grape-sellers to wine-makers, the Jansens’ mission has grown.

December 30, 2015 | by Cathy Jordan

CrossWinds Winery may have opened just last year, but, in many ways, it’s been a quarter-century in the making.

In the early 1990s, Ed Jansen’s father planted about 100 grapevines on his farm in Juniata County, just to see what would happen.

“As it happens, those grapes did really well,” said Ed.

So well, in fact, that Ed decided to plant more.

“I told him to put in another 200,” Linda said.

Ed smiled slyly then added, “I could have sworn she said 2,000.”

Unfortunately, Ed’s father passed away before he had the chance to see the results of his labor. The demand for the farm’s grapes grew and grew, driven by their reputation for quality and the proliferation of wineries throughout the state.

Then, as happens to many successful businesses, fate threw them a curve.

Their biggest client changed direction and no longer needed to buy their grapes. So, the couple asked themselves: “What do we do now?”

That question was answered after dinner one fateful evening. Driving along Route 39 outside of Hershey, they saw a home for sale. Decision made. Within two weeks, the building that would become their tasting room was purchased.

“It was meant to be,” said Linda.

CrossWinds Winery opened on May 31.

“I never thought I would own a winery,” Ed said. “Growing grapes, being outside, and being productive—that’s what I wanted.”

Awesome Location

The Jansens’ 10-acre vineyard is home not only to their grapes, but also to their airplanes as Ed and Linda are both pilots. In fact, the couple built a private airport on their property (known in flying lingo as Jansen Vineyards, PN71).

Therefore, it seemed logical for them to combine their two loves.

An aviation theme is apparent as you walk through CrossWinds Winery at Hershey, which was named for the constant crosswinds that blow through their farm’s 1,200-foot-high ridge back in Juniata County. A rose compass is their logo, and the wines have names like Fly Boy Red (a rosé-style Chambourcin), High Flying White (a sweet Niagara), Perfect Landing (a sharp Concord) and Tailspin Blueberry (a sweet blueberry-infused red).

So, besides all the airplanes, what differentiates CrossWinds from other wineries popping up all over central Pennsylvania?

“CrossWinds might be a new winery, but our vineyard is over 25 years old, and we have mature grapes,” said Linda.

Moreover, they “relentlessly” crop-thin, said Ed.

Crop thinning is a term used for thinning the vine by removing flowers and grapes.

“It allows the flavor in the grapes to really show through,” he said.

He paused a brief moment, then added, “And no other winery has Linda!”

That statement elicited a smile and a kiss from his wife.

The Jansens clearly love what they do.

“Our goal is to bring a mature, good Pennsylvania wine to tourists and locals and to spread the word about what PA can do with wine,” said Linda. “We are in an awesome location to do that.”

How so?

First, said Ed, their vineyard’s elevation allows them to make a standout Reisling, a grape that enjoys light. They then can share the high-quality result with the hordes of visitors who flock to Hershey for the amusement park, the auto show and the concerts, among other attractions.

Besides the out-of-staters, locals stop by on a regular basis, bringing friends and family with them to sip and taste, said Linda.

“I expected a lot of tourists, but was pleasantly surprised by all the locals,” she said.

Great Relationships

Despite opening their own winery, the Jansens are not out of the grape-growing business. They continue to sell grapes to their existing customers, but their business now is more diversified.

“We aren’t looking for more customers,” said Ed. “Our grapes are already spoken for.”

When you visit the tasting room, you’ll fine an open-concept space and tasting bar, a wine shop and gift shop. Special events, like paint night and sip-and-shop, are hosted on Saturdays, with an event room in the works. Customers also can sit out back on the covered porch to enjoy a view of the sprawling countryside and neighboring horses.

To accompany the wine, cheese and veggie platters are offered, and the staff will work with caterers. The winery also is available for rent during off-hours.

Recently, CrossWinds partnered with Cassel Vineyards and Spring Gate Vineyard to become part of the Sweet Arrow Wine Trail, a small trail along the Swatara Creek watershed, which hosts special Sunday events.

“We have great relationships,” said Linda. “That’s been a very important part of our success.”

CrossWinds Winery at Hershey is located at 621 Hershey Rd., Hummelstown. For more information, call 717-566-3050 or visit www.crosswindswinery.com. For information on the Sweet Arrow Wine Trail, visit www.sweetarrowtrail.com

Curtains, not Candy: “Sweetest Place on Earth” also offers theatrical treats.

November 30, 2015 | by Barbara Trainin Blank

Hershey Theatre

For many, the name “Hershey” conjures up a world-class amusement park, a huge sports arena and America’s best-known chocolate.

But those looking for theater in the town named for magnate Milton S. Hershey won’t be disappointed.

The two best known are, in fact, a study in contrasts.

Hershey Area Playhouse is an intimate community space, born out of grass-roots efforts and housed in what was once a barn that was 136 years old when its conversion to a theater began in 2002.

Meanwhile, Hershey Theatre is a majestic professional venue with more than 1900 seats, envisioned by Milton Hershey as far back as 1915. Completed in 1933, it recalls the opulence of 20-century European theaters—with high ceilings and walls faced with four different types of marble.

Therefore, audience members have two spectacular choices depending on their interests and moods.

Everyone Welcome
Hershey Area Playhouse traces its roots to a meeting at the Hershey Public Library on Jan. 13, 1999, organized by founder Skip Becker.

The meeting was shut down prematurely by an ice storm, but not before a group of community supporters elected a board of directors and chose a name. “Hershey Area” referred to the fact that the founders wanted to encourage theater lovers from around the area, not just the town, to participate.

And that expansive vision continues today in how the theater operates, said Susan Cort, a member of the original board who currently serves on the marketing committee.

“Everyone is welcome, whether you have no theater experience or 40 years of experience,” she said.

At first, the community theater was without a permanent home, and it traveled “from venue to venue to perform,” said Cort.

HAP’s vagabond status ended in 2002 when Michael Leader, CEO of Country Meadows, offered the use of the barn on the edge of the retirement/nursing home campus for a new permanent community theater—at the cost of just $1 a year.

“It was extraordinarily generous,” said Mark Douglas Cuddy, a member of the artistic (play-selecting) committee at HAP.

To enhance the community experience, HAP was built as a ¾-round theater, which means that the stage extends into the audience on three sides. This set up, plus the fact that the theater itself is small, provides great intimacy and connectedness between audience and players.

The theater, in other words, is perfect for putting on community productions, said Cort.

Not Sitting Dark
In contrast to HAP, the Hershey Theatre is far more traditional and ornate, as Milton Hershey built the theater to “wow,” not to offer intimacy.

The magnificent structure is festooned with marble, intricate tile-work, bas-relief images and paintings with classical themes. The sides of the auditorium were built to resemble a Byzantine castle, while the stage itself has design elements of a Venetian canal.

In addition, the theater was built not as ¾-round, but as a proscenium, a classical design in which all the action takes place directly in front of the audience. It’s also quite sizeable, seating 1,904 people.

Until the recent past, Hershey Theatre was best known for touring shows from the Great White Way. In 1954, a Broadway tour of the Rodgers and Hammerstein’s hit musical “The King and I” came to Hershey with its original star, Yul Brynner.

Things have changed somewhat since 2007, when the M.S. Hershey Foundation began to partner with the theater.

“Programming is much more diversified,” said Melissa Stradnick, public relations manager for Hershey Entertainment & Resorts.

Touring shows still arrive at Hershey Theatre, such as the upcoming revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” in January. And, despite its connection with Hershey, not all shows are family oriented; the theater also presents more adult fare like “Avenue Q” and “Spring Awakening.”

Then there is the occasional “PG-13”-type show, like “Matilda,” which played in November, said Dennis Norton, the theater’s entertainment programming manager.

“Our mission is to present the current state of what’s opened on Broadway,” he said.

“Ragtime,” based on E. L. Doctorow’s novel and scheduled for April, is part of the educational component that Hershey Theatre also embraces.

Aside from Broadway-type fare, you’ll find comedy shows, children’s shows and Hershey Symphony concerts.

“One thing we stay away from is heavy rock concerts,” said Stradnick.

Whatever is presented, Hershey Theatre is much more active than it used to be.

“It’s such a beautiful theater, that we don’t want it to sit dark,” said Stradnick. “We also try to make sure not to saturate the market with the same thing.”

All Imaginations
Although Hershey Area Playhouse has offered some controversial shows, such as “That Championship Season,” recent programming has focused on family-friendly material. These include musicals, comedies and dramas, like this past year’s “Lend Me a Tenor” and “Oliver!” noted Cuddy, who is also a board member.

This month features two holiday-related shows: “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Charlie Brown Christmas.”

“We made the made a decision early on to attract and integrate young actors and directors,” Cuddy said. “We want to be welcoming. We’re not just for audiences, but a community theater for actors, directors and those who want to work behind the scenes.”

Aside from five main stage shows, Hershey Area Playhouse also offers less-traditional fare.

A play called “Drifting,” about traumatic sports brain injuries in sports, was to be performed at the Hershey Medical Center, but was done instead at HAP. Then there was “Edges,” a rock opera about bullying, heartbreak and other subject matter geared to young people.

HAP also has “dark night offerings,” which have included appearances of Molasses Creek, a contemporary folk band from North Carolina that holds fundraisers for the theater; Sweet Sounds concerts featuring students from Hershey High School and Milton Hershey High; and staged readings by Playwrights Alliance of Pennsylvania.

“Our mantra is, ‘All imaginations welcomed,’” said Cuddy.

For more information, about Hershey Area Playhouse, visit www.hersheyareaplayhouse.com. For more information about the Hershey Theatre, visit www.hersheytheatre.com.

“Nutcracker” Christmas

One of the staples of Hershey Theatre is the annual production of “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” by Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet.

This year, performances will take place Dec. 19 and 20, with the participation of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Stuart Malina.

It’s a long-standing relationship. The Carlisle-based ballet school and company first performed “The Nutcracker” at the Hershey Theatre in December 1977, with choreography and staging by Marcia Dale Weary, CPYB’s founding artistic director.

Later, the school earned the license to dance the Balanchine version.

Since CPYB performs the beloved Christmas confection at Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts as well, why Hershey Theatre?

Several reasons, said Weary, including Hershey Theatre’s orchestra pit.

“It’s also one of the most beautiful theaters in the whole world and very large,” she said. “Some of our performances get full houses, or nearly so.”

Plus, she added, the large stage gives room for the Christmas tree to “grow” and for “snow” to fall.

“Some people think if they don’t see ‘Nutcracker,’ it’s not Christmas to them,” Weary said. “Some people come to see it every year.”

A Mill Becomes The Mill: Long-abandoned, a former storehouse has found new life as an exquisitely restored restaurant.

September 30, 2015 | by Julie Vitto

Photo by Ali Waxman

Pick a floor. Any floor.

Enjoy a meal, a cocktail, the historic ambience. When you feel the power of a passing train on the track just outside your window, you know you’re in a singular restaurant in our area—The Mill in Hershey.

After nearly 40 years of sitting vacant, the historic former Curry Feed Mill has been upgraded into three floors for dining, each with its own bar and distinct feel. On The Mill’s fourth floor is a small lounge with tables and armchairs where guests can gaze upon the structure’s magnificent wood beams and check out what everyone’s having for dinner down below.

In 2012, Pennsylvania natives Jim Rafferty, Bill Delinsky and Executive Chef Joe Mishler began a new chapter in the building’s life, taking ownership of the historic property.

“Talk through the town was that it should open as a restaurant,” said Mishler. “But no one, as I like to say, had the cojones to do it.”

The undertaking was huge.

An addition was built to incorporate the elevator, kitchen and bathroom areas, but the 100-year-old structure remained intact. Polished to a glory it probably never knew as a storehouse for coal and grain, most of the original wood was kept in the restoration. What isn’t original is either recycled or new to support the structural integrity. In September 2014, the restaurant opened for business.

Today, The Mill offers a simple, honest food and drink menu that changes with each season. The restaurant partners with local farms and farmers markets as much as possible while fresh, never frozen, seafood comes in from the Atlantic.

Due to the sheer volume of orders going through the kitchen compared to smaller restaurants, Mishler said that The Mill isn’t strictly farm to fork.

“That term’s overused to a point, but we try to get as local as possible,” he said.

A Passion
Mishler and his staff, including sous chef Nick Martino, smoke and cure meats in-house, such as the thick-cut bacon steak, smoked sausage and veal short ribs. Pastry chef Daria Astorino takes advantage of the proximity to Hershey Co. and incorporates the local chocolate into many of her desserts.

“I come from an Italian family, so it was all about food and being in the kitchen and eating and drinking,” said Mishler, a 25-year veteran in the kitchen. “I just have a passion for it. I love it. It’s nice to like your job when you go to work every day.”

One of The Mill’s more popular dishes is a twist on deviled eggs that comes with a honey Tabasco kick, said Mishler. Also, the calamari, veal short ribs and the Mill Standard Burger are favorites. Mishler is putting a whole smoked chicken on the fall menu, meaning that you’ll need to bring a hearty appetite and/or friends to prevent leftovers.

Domestic and international wines are available by the glass or bottle, as well as a rotating list of drafts and craft beers by the bottle. Handcrafted cocktails that have been turning heads include a jalapeño margarita made with Tanteo jalapeño tequila, Cointreau, agave, fresh lime and muddled cilantro. Also worth trying in season is the heirloom tomato mojito made with fresh tomatoes and basil, Absolut vodka and a pinch of ground black pepper.

An Impression
Open every day, The Mill covers a lot of territory.

Early in the week, there’s lunch and dinner service with a happy hour menu and drink list. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, you can catch live music on the third floor and stay to take advantage of the late-night menu. Of course, there’s everyone’s favorite hair-of-the-dog tradition known as Sunday brunch.

That’s where I chose to explore the menu. Each offering is hearty and served with a medley of petit-diced fruit. To start, I tried a house sangria made with fizzy red Lambrusco, white wine and fresh blueberries. The bloody Mary was also very good. Just spicy enough and served with a big, fat olive.

For brunch, my party was seated in a corner booth on the stonewalled, first floor dining room for a sampling of The Mill’s egg dishes. We started with the Farmers Frittata, a kind of egg pancake that reminded me of my mom’s with its blend of potato, sausage, bacon, roasted red pepper and melted cheddar for $12. For the same price, a slice of Garden Quiche is baked in a light crust with broccoli, spinach, red pepper, onion and Gruyere. To round things out, the 6-ounce Chateau Steak and Eggs was expertly prepared. The sliced, Certified Angus Beef is served over home fries and topped with two fried eggs for $15.

A highlight of the meal was the smoked cherry tomato that accompanied The Mill Staple Salad. Flash-fried for easy removal of the skins, the tomatoes are then smoked to infuse a deep, almost bacon-like flavor.

Considering the attention to detail paid to a little tomato or the effort put into restoring a piece of Hershey’s architectural history, a visit to The Mill is sure to make an impression. And as the seasons change, Chef Mishler and his staff are dedicated to upholding the integrity of the food and the drinks served year round.

The Mill is located at 810 Old West Chocolate Ave., Hershey. To learn more, including hours and reservation information, visit www.themillinhersheyrestaurant.com or call 717-256-9965.

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