Tag Archives: Whitaker Center

The Bard in The Burg: All Harrisburg’s a stage, as Gamut Theatre brings home the annual Shakespeare conference

December 29, 2021 | by Gina Napoli

Debra Ann Byrd performs “Becoming Othello: A Black Girl’s Journey”

Hark! Who goes there?

Thespians. Hundreds of them from around the globe, who will travel to Harrisburg in early January for the annual Shakespeare Theatre Association (STA) conference, courtesy of the city’s own Gamut Theatre.

STA provides a forum to support theater companies producing Shakespeare’s works and to advocate for Shakespearean productions and training. Some 120 theater companies around the world comprise STA’s membership, so hosting the January 2022 conference is a colossal—as well as a classical—honor.

One need only look as far back as 1997 to see STA’s influence on Harrisburg, when Gamut’s partnership with the group began.

Gamut Theatre’s board sent founders Clark and Melissa Nicholson to an STA conference just to see what they would learn. What sounded initially like an experiment, or maybe even a lark, turned out to be “an amazing, educational experience,” said Melissa Nicholson, Gamut’s executive director.

“Without our partnership with STA, I doubt we would have continued doing Shakespeare,” she said.

Although most of STA’s conference sessions are members-only, you can eavesdrop on “Classics Fest” events open to the public the way Rosencrantz and Guildenstern spied on Hamlet. Unlike those two, you need not be sneaky about it. Accessible pricing makes the events affordable.

Choice local artists, namely David Ramón Zayas and Paul Hood, will take the opportunity to showcase their own plays during Gamut’s Classics Fest while all the big players are in town. And internationally renowned artists Lisa Wolpe and Debra Ann Byrd add their star power to the marquee.

As with all things Gamut, the conference highlights are not purely Shakespearean and come with a number of twists, highlighting “diversity and classic works, homegrown artists writing new plays and musical collaborations,” Nicholson said.

Gamut’s intent to re-invent classic stories makes theater more accessible for the community, not just something to occupy the glitterati.

“We’re rethinking BLM, other inequities, and how we stay viable economically,” Nicholson said.

These concerns segue neatly into this year’s conference theme, “The Power of Reinvention: ‘We know what we are, but not what we may be.’” The theme conveys a deliberate action of glancing back to help us reach forward, of preparing to do better in the future.

Closed conference sessions will connect Shakespeare to many of the scorching headlines of today, such as diversity, the language of identity terminology, trauma and gender. And they will address trade topics, such as making classic theater relevant, ensemble auditions, outdoor theater and digital theater in the age of COVID. Gamut’s Founding Artistic Director Clark Nicholson will offer several sessions of teaching improvisational techniques to invigorate classical performances.

“The presenters have a nice mix of voices in the room, underrepresented groups, so we hear as many voices as possible,” Melissa Nicholson said. “Shakespeare may be an old, dead, white male, but he’s also an excellent playwright and an amazing poet… We can discover things about ourselves and each other through the vessel of his writing.”

There’s Power

Making The Bard relevant to today’s world is paramount to moving forward in this space.

STA members will open the topic to outside focus groups, hosting teachers and students digitally via Zoom to share their ideas on how to make Shakespeare resonate with them and to explore what about his works makes their hair stand on end.

Turning foul play into fair play, or “De-colonizing The Bard,” represents another hot button topic. STA members recognize their role in education and engagement, and they feel a responsibility to contextualize Shakespeare’s plays to give delight and hurt not. They will delve into critical explorations of the sometimes-detrimental legacy of Shakespeare as a cultural icon, rethinking their own programming to foster community and promote social justice.

Shakespeare’s works have helped a key, often marginalized group express themselves. A group of veterans took classes and formed their own company to help them express their own experiences about combat.

The Veterans’ Performance Ensemble at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, dubbed Olive Branch & Laurel Crown, will present “And To Be a Soldier” as part of Classics Fest.

“They found words they didn’t have before to help them process what they had been through,” Nicholson said.

Because our national borders are less of an obstacle than during Shakespeare’s time, today’s actors are not hindered the way old Bill once was. Crossing the Atlantic is routine, and we don’t even have to appear physically somewhere to give a performance.

“Being forced into a virtual conference [for 2021] gave STA a good opportunity to reinvent itself,” Nicholson said. “There’s power in working with your community, in expanding that reference group.”

As The Bard himself once penned, “It’s a brave new world.”

Shakespeare Theatre Association’s 2022 Conference will be held Jan. 3 to 8, split between Gamut Theatre, Whitaker Center and the Hilton Harrisburg. For information on the sessions accessible to the public, visit www.gamuttheatre.org/classicsfest.

To Be There

Classics Fest events are open to the public Jan. 3 through 8.

Jan. 3, 7:30 p.m.: “I Don’t Speak Spanish” by David Ramón Zayas at Gamut Theatre

Jan. 4, 8 p.m.: “Shakespeare and the Alchemy of Gender” by internationally renowned actress Lisa Wolpe at Whitaker Center

Jan. 5, 7:30 p.m.: “Market Square Concerts presents ‘Tempesta di Mare,’” a Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra, featuring Gamut actors performing short scenes and sonnets

Jan. 6, 8 p.m.: “Becoming Othello: A Black Girl’s Journey” by internationally renowned actress Debra Ann Byrd at Whitaker Center

Jan. 7, 2:15 p.m.: “TRACE Practices in the Theatre: A Critical Tool for Moving Harm Reduction to a Culture of Healing,” featuring Bridget McCarthy, executive director, Atlanta Artist Relief Fund

Jan. 7, 7:30 p.m.: “The African Company: The Mystery of the African Grove Theatre” by Paul Hood at Gamut Theatre

Jan. 8, 10:30 a.m.: “Strong Reasons Make Strong Actions: Innovative Partnerships and Collaborations” with Sharia Benn, Sankofa African American Theatre Company; Debra Ann Byrd, Harlem Shakespeare Festival; F.L. Henley, Narcisse Theatre Company; Paul Hood, playwright; Clark Nicholson, Gamut Theatre; Melissa Nicholson, Gamut Theatre

Jan. 8, 1:30 p.m.: “And To Be A Soldier” by the Olive Branch & Laurel Crown, the Veteran’s Performance Ensemble of Chesapeake Shakespeare Company at Whitaker Center

Dec. 1 to Feb. 28: The Art Association of Harrisburg presents a Shakespeare-themed art exhibit in the Capital Blue Cross lobby at Gamut Theatre. Featured artists include Kim Stone, Carrie Wissler-Thomas and Tina Reiley.

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Inauguration set for new Harrisburg mayor, council at Whitaker Center on Jan. 3

December 21, 2021 | by Maddie Gittens

Mayor-Elect Wanda Williams

With the new year will come new executive leadership in Harrisburg, as Wanda Williams will be sworn in as mayor on Jan. 3.

The inaugural ceremony will take place at Whitaker Center, 222 Market St., Harrisburg, at 10 a.m. The event is free to the public.

Williams will replace incumbent Mayor Eric Papenfuse, who served for the last eight years in office. In November, Williams claimed victory overwhelmingly in the general election, despite Papenfuse’s attempt to win re-election through a write-in campaign.

Williams, the current Harrisburg City Council president, will be the 39^th mayor of Harrisburg.

Harrisburg City Council members will also be sworn into office. They include Ausha Green and Shamaine Daniels, who were re-elected, as well as newcomers Ralph Rodriguez and Jocelyn Rawls. Council will reorganize, vote on a new council president and assign committee members at a Jan. 3 meeting at 12:30 p.m.

City Controller Charlie DeBrunner, who ran unopposed during the election, also will be sworn in for another term.

The following weekend, Williams will revive the tradition of holding a mayor’s inaugural ball. It will be held on Jan. 8 at the Sheraton Hotel, 4650 Lindle Rd., Harrisburg, at 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased for $75.

For more information on the inauguration of Wanda Williams, visit her website.

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Burg Review: Goofiness, joy await as Theatre Harrisburg reopens with “The SpongeBob Musical”

October 23, 2021 | by Gina Napoli

“The SpongeBob Musical” is Theatre Harrisburg’s first production after the widespread venue shuttering of March 2020. With its talented cast to bring general (and admiral) nautical nonsense, this comeback production was well worth the wait.

Broadway’s 12-time-Tony-nominated comedy script, based on the Nickelodeon cartoon, features original songs by 15-plus artists, including David Bowie, Aerosmith and Cyndi Lauper. I’m too “seasoned” to know who the other artists are, but my eye-rolling teenager assures me they’re all groovy. They must be, because the songs are as infectious as SpongeBob SquarePants (Nik Olson) himself. His optimism, high energy and silly gags all infuse themselves into the music and the story.

But the tale is more than just silly fun.

“The message of SpongeBob is all about the power of optimism,” Theatre Harrisburg’s Artistic and Production Director Kristi Ondo said. “It’s about how anyone with the right mindset can pull a community together.”

In Theatre Harrisburg’s rendition, Director Matt Spencer guides us through an undersea journey full of heart, with a can-do message of confidence that’s wildly inclusive and encouraging of everyone reaching higher, regardless of their intelligence, skills or whether they need a bubble and oxygen pack to breathe under water.

The fantasy experience starts immediately upon entering the Sunoco Theater at Whitaker Center, ahem, Bikini Bottom. Much in the same way the absurdity in the SpongeBob cartoon series starts with the theme song, we are greeted with mischievous characters and the setup of running gags while the audience filters in. The bright colors of the settings, props, costumes and decorations swirling around the audience feel like being inside a kaleidoscope or a circus (thankfully, minus the usual animal smells).

Our mainstage story starts out as just another day in Bikini Bottom. Fry cook SpongeBob aspires to be manager of the Krusty Krab, but the greedy and cantankerous Mr. Krabs (Bryden McCurdy) underestimates his cook’s abilities. Squidward’s (Sean Adams) prowess on the clarinet is also overlooked, and smart, sassy Sandy Cheeks the squirrel (Becky Mease) is shunned for being a land mammal. Then the friends hear urgent news–a volcano is about to erupt all over Bikini Bottom. What follows is a heroes’ journey, in which all must overcome their perceived limitations and work together to save their community.

Ondo said of the script, “The author’s notes read, ‘Embrace joy.’ No other notes.”

It’s clear that the actors blew life into that suggestion through their nose flutes. You don’t have to be 7 years old to enjoy the antics. Along with lots of lessons for the kids in the audience, the show has endearing moments and innuendo to draw in the adults. The action moves quickly, so you might need to swivel-chair to any corner of the theater to see where the actors may pop up and surprise you.

Although the songs aren’t sing-alongs you’ll recognize, they are seaworthy–packed with amusing slapstick, incorporating a range of musical genres. All–and I do mean all–the onstage players belt the score out with heart and flair during the production’s steady flow of dance numbers.

My only grief in the reef about attending opening night: not enough kids in the audience. So bring yours.

“The SpongeBob Musical” runs Oct. 22 to Nov. 7 at Whitaker Center, 222 Market St., Harrisburg. For more information on show times and tickets, visit the Theatre Harrisburg website or Whitaker Center website.

Theatre Harrisburg names new executive director, gets set for 96th season

September 28, 2021 | by Lawrance Binda

Lorien Reese Mahay

Harrisburg’s oldest operating theater has a new leader to guide its day-to-day operations.

On Tuesday, Theatre Harrisburg announced Lorien Reese Mahay as its new executive director, effective Oct. 4.

“We were searching for an inspiring, dynamic leader to guide Theatre Harrisburg into the future, and Lorien was everything we were hoping for,” says Becky Mease, Theatre Harrisburg board chair. “We are thrilled to have Lorien bring her breadth of experience to our team and optimistic for the future of Theatre Harrisburg with her at the helm.”

According to Theatre Harrisburg, Mahay has over a decade of experience in theater management, education and fund development. Most recently, she served as associate director for the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, based in Stony Brook, N.Y.

She also has served as associate director of development at Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, N.Y., and as program director at the Watermill Center, an interdisciplinary laboratory for the arts based in Water Mill, N.Y.

Mahay holds a bachelor’s degree in theatre from Calvin College and a master’s of fine art in dramaturgy from Stony Brook University.

“I am excited and deeply honored to be named as the next executive director of Theatre Harrisburg,” she said. “I believe that theatre is most vital when it is the heart of a community, and I am proud to lead an organization that is dedicated to putting their community at the center of everything it does.”

Theatre Harrisburg stated that it plans to host a community welcome event for Mahay in early December.

Founded in 1926, Theatre Harrisburg is one of the oldest continually operating community theaters in the country. It is set to open its 96th season on Oct. 22 with “The SpongeBob Musical,” which will run through Nov. 7 at Whitaker Center.

For more information on Theatre Harrisburg, visit www.theatreharrisburg.com.

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A Hundred Years, Musically: As TFEC hits the century mark, a group of musicians will play up their appreciation

August 31, 2021 | by M. Diane McCormick

Jeremy Gill

A self-described “poor kid from Lewisberry” wasn’t the type to come up with the 1990s-era dollars needed to study at the prestigious Eastman School of Music.

“In those days, Eastman cost about $20,000 a year,” said Jeremy Gill. “I didn’t have much. I had a lot of scholarship money from Eastman, which was really helpful, and the Steele Fund added to that. So, that at the end of all those years, I had very little student debt.”

Gill is a proud—and very appreciative—recipient of a scholarship from the selective Joseph L. and Vivian E. Steele Music Fund (now the Steele-Drane Fund).

This month, he will join several other awardees, who will return to Harrisburg to give something back, demonstrating musically how well they’ve used the money.

On Sept. 18, five past Steele recipients will put on a free concert celebrating the centennial of the Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC), holder of the Steele scholarships. The concert features a piece commissioned by TFEC and composed by Gill, a freelance composer, conductor and pianist based in New York City.

Pride & Joy

Born of a bequest from classical pianist and music teacher Vivian Steele and her architect husband, the Steele Fund awards competitive scholarships to students from Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder and York counties who are studying classical music composition, teaching and performance.

Recipients can receive annual awards, traditionally up to $5,000 a year, throughout their studies. (Another fund created from the Steele bequest finances scholarships for young architects in honor of Joseph. He designed the Steele’s Camp Hill home with a dais in the living room where Vivian’s students presented recitals.)

Since the early 2000s, Gill has served on the committee awarding the scholarships. From a list of past and recent winners, he chose the most memorable, plus one local/native double bass player who never applied for the scholarship but who “easily would have won” had he applied, said Gill.

The resulting ensemble emerged from the powerhouses of music schools, including Curtis Institute of Music, New England Conservatory of Music and the Julliard School. The process yielded an unusual mix of instruments.

“I don’t know any other pieces that are for oboe, trumpet, viola, double bass and piano,” Gill said. “They’re very distinct but also a balanced ensemble. I wanted to write for these people I remember.”

In his piece, composer Gill weaves a tapestry, telling the Steele scholarship story.

The other part of the scholarship story woven into Gill’s work comes from Dr. Robert Lau, renowned composer, educator and longtime chair of the Steele Fund classical music committee—who just happens to be Gill’s first composition teacher. Gill based the work on themes from Lau’s “Cantilena,” originally a piece for solo organ.

When Lau responded to Gill’s request to send a few favorite compositions, he thought Gill wanted to study them from a theoretical perspective. He was “dumbfounded” when he learned Gill’s secret intent—to select a piece on which to base his TFEC commission.

“He’s my pride and joy,” Lau said. “He was the best composition student that I ever had. He just went from one thing to another. He had a very humble background. I just knew this boy had talent.”

Independent scholarships are rare in classical music, Lau said.

“It’s a tough field to get any scholarship money in,” he said.

The musical skill of Steele applicants “has gone higher and higher every year.”

“Sometimes, we feel our only negative is that we don’t have enough to give to everybody,” he said.

Kind of Incredible

TFEC was founded in 1920 as the Greater Harrisburg Foundation, heralding a post-World War I, pre-Great Depression wave of creation of Harrisburg’s enduring nonprofit and cultural institutions (e.g., Harrisburg Symphony Organization, Harrisburg Community Theatre/Theatre Harrisburg, Art Association of Harrisburg).

Today, TFEC owns $130 million in assets and manages another $50 million, serving Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lebanon and Perry counties, plus the Dillsburg area.

Among TFEC’s assets are 255 scholarship funds. The Steele Fund came about after the death of Vivian Steele in 1987, when her will’s executor, John Plesic, mentioned to then-foundation Executive Director Diane Sandquist that the Steeles wanted to start a scholarship fund with their $454,000 legacy.

“Diane jumped on it and said, ‘I can tell you how to get started,’” said TFEC Executive Director Janice Black. “A problem to someone is a fortune to us. We help them create the path they wanted to go on but didn’t really know how to do it.”

For the Steele Fund, Sandquist, Plesic and then-foundation Chair Lois Grass “put all the details together, and they did a fabulous job,” Black said. For each discipline, committees of professionals review submissions from students and award a total of about $30,000 in scholarships every year.

Presentation of Gill’s commissioned work was originally meant for TFEC’s 2020 centennial gala, but you know what happened to that year. This year, too. When pandemic conditions lingered, the TFEC board canceled the gala’s Sept. 18 makeup date, but by then, the peripatetic musicians had the date circled on their busy calendars. So, the decision was made to turn the night into a free concert, closing with Gill’s commissioned work.

Each musician selected a solo piece to play. Pianist, composer and conductor Chris Whittaker will play two world premieres he composed for solo piano and for oboe and piano.

“It’s a joy to have them coming back,” Black said.

Lau called the gathering of Steele winners “kind of incredible.”

“In a way, it’s something to show their gratitude,” he said. “They’re trying to say that they’re individual musicians, but TFEC made it possible for them to get somewhere. So, now they’re getting together to thank them. It’s a wonderful tribute.”

Black sees the concert as a gift to the community and a reflection of Vivian Steele’s passion for educating young classical musicians.

“It’s just wonderful to know that the wonderful work that the Steeles did is still going on through these young people and the gift of education they received through the fund that helped them to grow and be where they are today,” she said.

By convening local musicians who have scattered across the country and the globe—violist Maxwell Aléman is coming from the Netherlands—Gill said the concert will feel “like a coming together” in front of family and friends who were their first audiences.

“We’re all really happy to be able to come together and play a concert for the community from which we all came,” he said. “That feels really special, and to celebrate this wonderful foundation that supports musicians and architects. It’s really important that local organizations support young people who are aspiring to whatever they’re aspiring to. You support them and help give them the means to follow their dreams.”

TFEC Centennial Concert takes place on Sept. 18, 5 p.m., at Whitaker Center, Harrisburg. Free admission. A reception will follow the concert. Participating musicians are Alan Tolbert, trumpet; ToniMarie Marchioni, oboe; Maxwell Aléman, viola; Devin Howell, bass; Chris Whittaker, piano and composition; and Jeremy Gill, composition and piano. For more information on TFEC, visit www.tfec.org.

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40 & Fabulous: Market Square Concerts hits middle age with a full season of celebration

August 31, 2021 | by Lori M. Myers

Market Square Concerts’ 40th Anniversary Concert artists

What’s in store for Market Square Concerts audiences this upcoming 2021-22 season?

Well, there’s Beethoven and Brahms and baroque and chamber music, cellists, cabaret, quartets and a polymath.

Yes, a polymath. More on that later.

This season is a special one. It marks MSC’s 40th anniversary and, while it’s a big year, co-director Peter Sirotin has plans, as always, to offer central Pennsylvania music-lovers the highest-quality programming.

On Oct. 6 at Whitaker Center, the award-winning Ariana String Quartet will treat listeners with a lighthearted string quartet by Beethoven and a poignant piece by Tchaikovsky, which Sirotin describes as “a gem of Russian Romantic chamber music.” The group will also perform the cross-cultural “Leyendas: An Andian Walkabout.”

“It is by one of the most exciting Latin American composers, Gabriella Lena Frank,” Sirotin said.

The remaining performances, November through April, will take place at Market Square Presbyterian Church. On Nov. 17, celebrated clarinetist David Shifrin, cellist Peter Wiley and pianist Anna Polonsky will perform lyrical clarinet and cello sonatas by Brahms, as well as Beethoven’s own arrangement of his “Septet.”

This November program was originally scheduled for March 2020, but was cancelled due to the pandemic. Sirotin considers it fortunate that MSC was able to reschedule it for this upcoming season.

“Both of these programs (October and November) include works by Beethoven whose 250th birthday celebrations around the world had been muted by the pandemic,” Sirotin said. “Fortunately, Beethoven is as alive and relevant at 251, as he was at 250.”

Sirotin is particularly thrilled about the Jan. 5 concert, when “English Orpheus” will be performed by Tempesta di Mare, a Philadelphia-based Baroque ensemble, which will offer a cabaret on the eternal themes of love, with songs and instrumental music by Dowland, Blow, Purcell and Handel and poetry by Shakespeare. Actors from Harrisburg’s Gamut Theatre will be featured as the theater concurrently hosts the international Shakespeare Theatre Association conference.

“We are always interested in a cross-disciplinary programming, and this is a wonderful opportunity for us to collaborate across art forms, as well as help both organizations to cultivate new audiences,” Sirotin said.

And the polymath mentioned earlier? He is British pianist, composer and writer Stephen Hough, named by several noted magazines as one of 20 living polymaths. He will be front and center on Feb. 15, performing music by Chopin, Schumann and Alan Rawsthorne, as well as his own “Partita.”

By definition, a polymath is someone with wide-ranging knowledge or interests spanning diverse subjects, a type of Renaissance man or woman. In Hough’s case, besides being a leading concert pianist, he is a composer, a recording artist, a visual artist, a novelist, blogger and essayist.

“This concert is a part of Mr. Hough’s artistic residency, which will also include appearances with the Harrisburg Symphony and a master class at Messiah University,” Sirotin said.

March 23 is the date for MSC’s 40th Anniversary Concert, featuring music by world-class living composers with central Pennsylvania connections.

“We want to show that not only is chamber music alive and well, but there are incredible composers living among us who are creating imaginative and inspired works full of vitality and cultural relevance,” Sirotin said.

Compositions by Avner Dorman, Jeremy Gill, Robert Pound and Zev Malina will be performed by Grammy-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux, Maestro Stuart Malina and the principal players of the Harrisburg Symphony.

Sirotin, now in his 11th season with MSC, views 40 years as an incredible milestone for the organization.

Founded in 1981 by Lucy Miller Murray, MSC is one of only eight presenters in the country, along with Carnegie Hall, that participates in Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award, given to a young string quartet about to embark on the international music scene.

“Ultimately, the organization Lucy Miller Murray created 40 years ago continues to thrive because of the community of dedicated music-lovers and because it embodies the collaborative spirit which is at the core of chamber music as an art form,” Sirotin added.

Finally, MSC will close out its season on April 21 with Stuart and Friends, a program that incorporates Maestro Malina’s favorite works for “piano four hands” by Schumann, Rachmaninoff and Brahms. MSC’s co-director, Ya-Ting Chang, will join Malina at the piano, and audiences will be treated to a vocal ensemble.

Last season, MSC managed to present all of its musical programs live to masked and socially distanced audiences in accordance with regulations. This season, the organization will continue to monitor the situation closely for any changes in state and federal safety and health guidelines and respond accordingly.

Whatever the outcome, Sirotin and the MSC have made sure music-lovers don’t miss a beat.

“Due to popular demand, we plan to continue filming all of our performances next season and offering videos as an option to those who can’t attend in person,” he said.

For more information or tickets, call 717-221-9599, visit www.marketsquareconcerts.org or email [email protected].

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Oh, Jazzman: Over four decades ago, pianist Steve Rudolph dropped into Harrisburg. Since then, he’s played countless dates and made countless friends

August 31, 2021 | by M. Diane McCormick

Steve Rudolph. Photos courtesy of Central PA Friends of Jazz.

“This’ll say a lot about Steve.”

Andy Herring is sharing a story about Steve Rudolph. The pianist had retired as executive director of Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz in October 2019. The group’s board had an idea for a fundraiser in Rudolph’s honor. Why not give Rudolph a chance to play with all the greats he’d always dreamed of playing with?

Rudolph had “kind of a different idea”—a reunion concert of colleagues across the decades.

“That says something about Steve,” Herring repeated. “His career is built on friendships.”

The Sept. 26 “This One’s for You!” concert presents three bands representing three eras in the career of Rudolph, whose ubiquity in public conceals a behind-the-scenes presence that strengthened and solidified the central Pennsylvania music scene.

Jazz Alive

Rudolph’s story in Harrisburg begins with that standard, “Danny Boy.” And money laundering.

Short version: The Indianapolis native was touring with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in 1978, grabbing practice time on every beat-up hotel piano he could find. At the Holiday Inn Town, now the Crowne Plaza Harrisburg, he was playing “not a fine instrument” in a hallway near the kitchen. A passerby asked to sing along (hence, “Danny Boy”). The man said he was the new manager, in search of a house jazz band.

“Riding around in an iron-lung bus 2,500 miles a week and playing seven nights for a little over a year had gotten very old,” Rudolph said. “I sat down with him and convinced him to hire my trio with guest artists.”

Unintentionally, Rudolph had walked into “some sort of organized crime situation.” There were benefits. Laundering ill-gotten gains meant generating lots of actual cash, so Rudolph gained fame and name recognition from the constant advertising meant to drum up crowds.

How quickly did he get an inkling?

“In about three days,” he said. “They treated me very well. They made me entertainment director for the three hotels they had. They gave me a room and a car and did my laundry”—the type that literally goes in the washing machine—“so what did I care?”

In those days, the Harrisburg area had few jazz clubs but many fine musicians and, as Rudolph became established, a constant stream of guest artists. When the Holiday Inn Town gig ended in 1980, Rudolph banded with Jack Snavely, Lee Swartz and Russ Neff to found Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz, stoking a base of fans eager to keep live jazz alive.

Rudolph would find two other steady gigs, first at the Lucky 7 in Harrisburg, and then on staff at Hilton Harrisburg for 22 years. Through it all, he was working behind the scenes, as a Friends of Jazz board member and volunteer.

Best Advice

Rudolph first became a businessperson “out of desperation.”

It was in Indianapolis, where a thriving jazz scene of legendary talents—Wes Montgomery was born and died there, for cripe’s sake—bred fierce competition for gigs. Rudolph learned to create work simply by walking into clubs and convincing the owners that they needed music. His rule for getting gigs?

“Count the chairs, and then imagine how many dollars per chair the guy will pay before he doesn’t like jazz anymore,” he said.

Rudolph carried those skills to Harrisburg, bringing jazz to a long list of clubs.

“It wasn’t hard to do because I had a following,” he said. “As soon as we played in a place, they suddenly got an influx of new customers.”

In 2012, Friends of Jazz was adrift, and Rudolph stepped in as executive director, while still playing gigs. Today, Herring calls Rudolph “the founder that every executive director wishes they could succeed”—supportive, available to answer questions, but never controlling.

Once, advising Herring on the balancing act of filling spaces with quality acts while keeping audiences and venues happy, Rudolph offered “one of the best pieces of advice ever.”

“When you think, ‘I want to tell so-and-so what I’m really thinking,’ that only helps you, and actually, it doesn’t even help you,” Rudolph told Herring. As Herring interpreted it, “It’ll make you feel good right away, but don’t burn the bridge.”

“Steve is a minister of tact,” Herring said.

Good Man

Musician Dred “Perky” Scott has been a Rudolph friend and colleague for more than 40 years. They met when Scott, impressed by Rudolph’s trio at the Holiday Inn Town, asked to sing along. The tune that came to mind was “Bye, Bye Blackbird.”

“We immediately had a musical connection,” said Scott. “It was instantaneous.”

The pair has “grown together tremendously” over their 40 years through “the ups and the downs and the ins and the outs,” Scott said. “He hears what I hear before I say it, and I hear what he plays before he plays it. It’s unique and treasured.”

Scott added that Rudolph “has been able to accomplish what he’s done because he’s white, but that does not in any way dilute the importance of what he did.” Rudolph agrees.

“Absolutely,” he said. “Let’s face it. It is not a balanced street. Most all of my heroes and many, many of my friends are of African American descent. The contributions they made to the way I play and the way I am as a person are boundless. I owe a debt, of course, to the founders of this music.”

And, he adds, the “whole historical concept of the music” is steeped in African and African American traditions and culture.

“Without knowing the concepts of the blues and of African traditional music, I don’t think you’re much of a jazz player,” he said.

Rudolph’s relationship-building prowess has helped make possible the full retinue of Friends of Jazz events, in part by attracting donors, said Herring.

“When Steve talks about something that’s going on, people immediately listen,” he said.

Today, Rudolph spends his time composing, arranging and—as venues reopen—playing. He and his wife of 25 years, Andrea Minick Rudolph, executive director of Oryoki Zendo meditation center, host an annual trip of music and mindfulness to Italy’s Borgo San Fedele, JazZenjourney.

“She’s been the ultimate support,” Rudolph said. “She really makes the bad days better. During the pandemic was probably the most wonderful time. Suddenly, I wasn’t working six nights a week, and we could see each other and maybe watch a television show together.”

Scott is among the musicians lined up for the Rudolph tribute.

“It’s a well-deserved honor because of his activism,” Scott said.

Throughout the region, Rudolph has created an unprecedented, jazz-nurturing collective of venues, “and to his credit, he never slid over to what they call ‘smooth jazz.’”

“He’s a good man,” Scott said. “He’s a righteous man who does his very best in everything he does and has been a friend to musicians in this area.”

Rudolph knows that landing in Harrisburg “was totally a fluke.” As for his legacy, the most rewarding thing “has been seeing the young players who grew up inspired by what I was doing or at least involved in what I was doing who went on to become amazing musicians and teachers.”

“The whole purpose of my involvement in this music is to keep it alive and hopefully encourage people to try to improve it and add their personality to the music,” he said. “Jazz sounds different from one player to another. It really is the ultimate self-expression.”

Oh, and please, go hear live music.

“This One’s for You! For All You’ve Done, For All You Do,” Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz tribute to Steve Rudolph, takes place Sept. 26 at 4:30 p.m. at Whitaker Center, Harrisburg. For tickets, visit www.Friendsofjazz.org/Rudolph. Presenting sponsor: The Foundation for Enhancing Communities.

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Happenings: Our August Calendar of Events

July 30, 2021 | by Missy Smith

Museums & Art Spaces

AACA Museum
161 Museum Dr., Hershey
717-566-7100; aacamuseum.org

“Minibike Mania,” a display of more than two dozen miniature motorbikes, through Oct. 16

“Keep on Truckin’: Light Duty Trucks,” an exhibit focused on the history of pickup trucks, through Oct. 22

“Iconic Chevrolets,” an exhibit presented by the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America, through Oct. 22

“Hershey’s History: Before & After Chocolate,” through Oct. 22

Art Association of Harrisburg
21 N. Front St., Harrisburg
717-236-1432; artassocofhbg.com

93rd International Annual Juried Show, through Sept. 2

Carlisle Arts Learning Center (CALC)
38 W. Pomfret St., Carlisle
717-249-6973; carlislearts.org

“Left Behind,” photography by Michael Hower and sculptural work by Steve Dolbin, Aug. 6-Sept. 18

“Lunchbox Moments,” an exhibition by Korean-American artist, Amie Bantz, memorializing a collection of stories from the AAPI community by painting their narratives on a series of lunchboxes, Aug. 6-Sept. 18

The Cornerstone Coffeehouse
2133 Market St., Camp Hill
thecornerstonecoffeehouse.com

August artist of the month

Dickinson College
The Trout Gallery
240 W. High St., Carlisle
717-254-8159; troutgallery.org

“Remnant: Studio Majors Thesis Exhibition,” featuring projects by senior studio art majors under the direction of Rachel Eng with Todd Arsenault, Anthony Cervino and Andy Bale, through Sept. 11

“In Light of the Past,” an exhibition considering how we experience photographs, through Oct. 9

Hershey Area Art Association (HAAA)
hersheyart.org

HAAA Member Art display at Hershey Public Library, through Oct. 10

The Millworks
340 Verbeke St.; Harrisburg
717-695-4888; millworksharrisburg.com

New works by Ann Benton Yeager, Paul Vasiliades, Rebecca Adey, Mary Gelenser, John Davis and Amie Bantz, through Aug. 15

Pennsylvania National Fire Museum
1820 N. 4th St., Harrisburg
717-232-8915; pnfm.org

Exhibits dedicated to Pennsylvania firefighting history

Perry County Council of the Arts
PCCA Gallery, 1 S. 2nd St., Newport
717-567-7023; perrycountyarts.org

“Art of a Pandemic,” group art exhibition examining the challenges and isolation, reality adjustments and new experiences lived during the COVID-19 pandemic, through Sept. 18

The State Museum of Pennsylvania
300 North St., Harrisburg
717-787-4980; statemuseumpa.org

“Why Not in Pennsylvania? Campaigning for Women’s Suffrage in the Keystone State,” through Jan. 2

Susquehanna Art Museum
1401 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-233-8668; susquehannaartmuseum.org

“Persephone/Persephone,” a multi-panel collaborative installation by Elody Gyekis and Joanne Landis, through Aug. 8

“Mobility to Movement,” etchings by Isabel Bishop, Aug. 13-Oct. 17

Artistic Expressions Summer Academy exhibition inspired by SAM’s “Circle of Truth,” through Aug. 22

“Project Pattern” multimedia display of photography, painting, sculpture and installation by artists Nate Ethier, Nicole Herbert and Luke Murphy, through August

“Circle of Truth: 49 Paintings Ending with Ed Ruscha,” like a childhood game in which a message is whispered in the ear of a first person, then relayed to a second, a third and so on, through Sept. 19

“Meanderings,” a collection of variable collagraphic prints by artist Valerie R. Dillon, who illustrates her journey of shifting between known and unknown spaces, through Oct. 17

Wildwood Park
100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg
717-221-0292; wildwoodlake.org

“Art in the Wild,” an exhibit of naturally inspired trailside installations created by artists using mostly natural materials and inspired by the theme “reimagining,” through Sept. 30

Read, Make, Learn

Carlisle Arts Learning Center (CALC)
38 W. Pomfret St., Carlisle
717-249-6973; carlislearts.org

Aug. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, Sept. 4: Obvara (Baltic Raku) Alternative Firing Techniques
Aug. 11: Collage & Paint, 6-9 p.m.
Aug. 14: Vintage Tin Earrings, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Dauphin County Library System
dcls.org

Aug. 2, 9: Art Club, 4 p.m.
Aug. 2, 9: Born to Read on Zoom, 9:30 a.m.
Aug. 3, 10: Discord Hangouts—Gaming, 3-5 p.m.
Aug. 3, 10: Family Storytime, 6 p.m.
Aug. 4, 11: Virtual Toddler Storytime, 10 a.m.
Aug. 4, 11: Young Adult Book Club on Zoom, 4 p.m.
Aug. 5: What Makes Us Blue?, 7 p.m.
Aug. 5, 12: Discord Hangouts—Chat, 3-5 p.m.
Aug. 6, 13, 20, 27: Preschool Storytime on Zoom, 10 a.m.
Aug. 6, 13, 20, 27: Discover Tabletop Role Playing Games online, 4 p.m.
Aug. 6, 13, 20, 27: Tween Dungeons and Dragons on Zoom, 4 p.m.
Aug. 7, 14, 21, 28: Teen Dungeons and Dragons, 3 p.m.
Aug. 10, 12: The Next Chapter Book Club, 4 p.m.
Aug. 10: Virtual Reading the Rainbow Book Club, 7 p.m.
Aug. 11: Supporting Your Garden’s Pollinators, 7-8 p.m.
Aug. 12: Virtual Dungeons and Dragons, 7 p.m.
Aug. 12, 26: Librarians on Twitch, 6-8 p.m.
Aug. 17: Novel Thoughts Too!, 1-2 p.m.
Aug. 18: Role Playing Games Sampler Series, 6:30-8 p.m.
Aug. 19: Make a Book, 6 p.m.

Elizabethtown Public Library
10 S. Market St., Elizabethtown
717-367-7467; etownpubliclibrary.org

Aug. 2, 9: Baby Time, 10:30 a.m.
Aug. 2: Make It! Mondays, 12:30 p.m.
Aug. 3: Teen SummerZine 2021, 4 p.m.
Aug. 4, 11: Toddler Time, 10:30 a.m.
Aug. 5, 12: Family Storytime, 10:30 a.m.
Aug. 5, 12, 19, 26: Fiber Artists, 3 p.m.
Aug. 10, 12: STEM Stations, 2 p.m.
Aug. 12, 26: Knitter’s Group, 5 p.m.
Aug. 14: Fiber Artists, 10 a.m.
Aug. 14: Make It, Break It, 11 a.m.
Aug. 17: Teen SummerZine 2021, 4 p.m.
Aug. 21: Knitter’s Group, 10 a.m.

Fredricksen Library
100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill
717-761-3900; fredricksenlibrary.org

Aug. 2, 16: STEM Grab & Go, 9 a.m.
Aug. 2, 16: Zoom—Frederickson Writes on Zoom, 6:45 p.m.
Aug. 3: Zoom—Curl up with the Classics on Zoom—” All Creatures Great And Small,” 10-11 a.m.
Aug. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31: Virtual Get That Job! Workshop, 10:30-11:30 a.m., 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Aug. 3, 17: Master Gardener Plant Clinic, 6 p.m.
Aug. 4: Zoom—Moving Forward Book Group w/ Hospice of Central PA, 1-2 p.m.
Aug. 4: Amazing Aquarium and Fish Facts on Zoom, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Aug. 6, 13: Zoom STEM Storytime, 10 a.m.
Aug. 9, 23: Teen Grab and Go Bag (ages 7-12), 9 a.m.
Aug. 12, 26: Virtual Resume Writing Workshop, 10:30-11:30 a.m., 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Aug. 23: Virtual Fredricksen Reads, 7-8 p.m.

Gallery on the Square
Millersburg Area Art Association
226 Union St., Millersburg
Facebook: Gallery on the Square

Aug. 13: On the Porch with Don Lebo, 10 a.m.
Aug. 14: On the Porch with MJ Lauder Stained Glass, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Aug. 21: Basket weaving, 9 a.m.

Gamut Theatre Group
15 N. 4th St., Harrisburg
717-238-4111; gamuttheatre.org

Aug. 3-13: Popcorn Hat Players’ Camp (ages 6-12), 1-4 p.m.

Harrisburg Improv Theatre
1633 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
hbgimprov.com

Aug. 5-Sept. 23: Sketch Writing, 6-8 p.m.
Aug. 16-Oct. 11: Level 2—Game of the Scene, 7-10 p.m.

Harrisburg Young Professionals
hyp.org

Aug. 5, 12: HYP Kickball, 6-9:45 p.m.
Aug. 9: Heart of the Community Garden Clean Up, 5-7 p.m.

Hershey Area Art Association (HAAA)
hersheyart.org

Aug. 6-8: Watercolor Workshop
Aug. 19: Photographing Your Artwork, 6-7:30 p.m.
Aug. 28: Basic Fluid Art, 1-4 p.m.

Hershey Gardens
170 Hotel Rd., Hershey
717-534-3492; hersheygardens.org

Aug. 7: Anthony Haubert Trio

Hershey Public Library
701 Cocoa Ave., Hershey
717-533-6555; hersheylibrary.org

Aug. 1, 15: YouTube—Kids Carry & Craft, 10 a.m.
Aug. 1, 15: Carry & Craft Teen/Adult, 11 a.m.
Aug. 3: Read Stampede Walking Group, 9 a.m.
Aug. 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26: Penn State Hershey—Mothers & Babies Together, 10 a.m.
Aug. 5, 19: Hershey Quilters, 12:30 p.m.
Aug. 16: bAd aRt Night, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 17: Crafts in the Reading Garden (teens & tweens), 6:30-8 p.m.
Aug. 21: Cocoa Area Fiber Enthusiasts, 10 a.m.
Aug. 24: Blood Drive, 1:30 p.m.
Aug. 26: Fear of Commitment Book Group—Short Fiction Only at Cassel Vineyards, 6 p.m.
Aug. 28: Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors Family Book Group—Crown & Don’t Touch My Hair, 2 p.m.

Historic Harrisburg Resource Center
1230 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
historicharrisburg.com

Aug. 7: Landmark Bus Tour Historic Shipoke, Steelton and Midland Cemetery, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Joseph T. Simpson Public Library
16 N. Walnut St., Mechanicsburg
717-766-0171; simpsonlibrary.org

Aug. 2, 6, 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, 27, 30: Rhyme Time in the Park, 9 a.m.
Aug. 2, 6, 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, 27, 30: Toddler Time in the Park, 9:40 a.m.
Aug. 2, 6, 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, 27, 30: Story Time in the Park, 10:20 a.m.
Aug. 2, 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, 25, 30: Rhyme Time, 5:15 p.m.
Aug. 2, 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, 25, 30: Toddler Time, 6 p.m.
Aug. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30: Storybook STEAM, 6:45 p.m.
Aug. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31: Tea and Stitches, 10 a.m.
Aug. 4, 11: Kindergarten Readiness, 6:45 p.m.
Aug. 5, 12, 19, 26: Mah Jongg, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Aug. 5, 12, 19, 26: Toddler Time, 10 a.m.
Aug. 5, 12, 19, 26: Story Time, 10:15 a.m.
Aug. 5, 12, 19, 26: Rhyme Time, 12 p.m.
Aug. 5, 12, 19, 26: Tales for T.A.I.L.S., 6 p.m.
Aug. 9, 23: English Conversation Club, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Aug. 11: Mad About Mysteries on Zoom, 7-8 p.m.
Aug. 13, 27: Dungeons & Dragons (grades 6-12), 6-8 p.m.
Aug. 14, 28: Block Party!, 10:30 a.m.
Aug. 16: Monday Night Book Club, 7-8 p.m.
Aug. 18: Watch the Skies Book Club, 7 p.m.
Aug. 19: Thursday Morning Book Club, 10 a.m.
Aug. 19: Teen Third Thursday, 6 p.m.
Aug. 21-22: August Book Sale
Aug. 24: Tabletop Game Night, 6-8 p.m.
Aug. 25: Apple Users Group, 1 p.m.
Aug. 18: Trivia at Home—Gilmore Girls, 6-8 p.m.

Kalpa Bhadra Kadampa Buddhist Center
251 Wiconisco St., Harrisburg
717-232-2700; meditationpa.org

Aug. 1-Sept. 4: 21 Meditations—On-Demand Series

The LGBT Center of Central PA
1306 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-920-9534; centralpalgbtcenter.org

Aug. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: Young Adult Group, 4 p.m.
Aug. 4, 11, 18, 25: Common Roads (ages 12-17), 6 p.m.
Aug. 7, 14, 21, 28: Passageways, 2 p.m.
Aug. 10, 24: Queers and Quests game night, 6 p.m.
Aug. 12: Aging with Pride Luncheon, 12 p.m.
Aug. 13: Open Mic and Coffee Café, 6 p.m.

Middletown Public Library
20 N. Catherine St., Middletown
717-944-6412; middletownpubliclib.org

Aug. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31: Tales with T.A.I.L.S., 6-7 p.m.
Aug. 4, 11: Wagging Tails Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Aug. 6, 13, 20, 27: Online Science Fiction Book Club
Aug. 6, 13, 20, 27: Star Trek Rewatch online group

Midtown Scholar Bookstore-Café
1302 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-236-1680; midtownscholar.com

Aug. 4: Courtney E. Martin in Conversation with Jamia Wilson, 7-8 p.m.
Aug. 25: An Evening with Meghan O’Gieblyn—God, Human, Animal, Machine, 7-8 p.m.

The Millworks
340 Verbeke St.; Harrisburg
717-695-4888; millworksharrisburg.com

Aug. 6-8: Hazy Glaze of Summer acrylic painting
Aug. 7: First Saturday, 2-5 p.m.
Aug. 11, 25: Kids Class on the Roof, 5-7 p.m.
Aug. 21, 22: Fluid Art, 12-3 p.m.

National Civil War Museum
One Lincoln Circle, Harrisburg
717-260-1861; nationalcivilwarmuseum.org

Aug. 7: U.S Grant, the Meaning of the Civil War, and the Election of 1868,” 1-2 p.m.
Aug. 14: From Gettysburg to Little Big Horn—The George Armstrong Custer, Civil War and Indian Wars 2021 Symposium, 8:45 a.m.-5 p.m.

Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art
176 Water Company Rd., Millersburg
717-692-3699; nedsmithcenter.org

Aug. 10: Gooey Art Grandparent & Me Camp, 9:30 a.m.

Palmyra Public Library
50 Landings Dr., Annville
717-838-1347; palmyra.lclibs.org

Aug. 9: Book Club, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania
300 North St., Harrisburg
717-787-4980; statemuseumpa.org

Aug. 4, 6, 8, 20, 21, 22, 25: Animal Adaptations Tour, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Aug. 4, 11, 18, 25: Explore! (grades 3-5), 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Aug. 5, 12, 19, 26: Curiosity Kids (grades K-2), 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Aug. 6: Virtual Artists Conversations—Lauren Litwa, 12:15-12:45 p.m.
Aug. 6, 21: StoryTime, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Aug. 8: Virtual Tonight’s Sky—A Live Chat with the Planetarium Director, 2-3 p.m.
Aug. 12: Virtual “Bring Your Dead Online” Webinar, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Aug. 13: Adventures in Nature Lab (in-person and virtual)—PA Turtles, 12:15-12:45 p.m.
Aug. 20: Learn at Lunchtime—Curator’s Choice, 12:15-12:45 p.m.
Aug. 27: Learn at Lunchtime—Curator’s Choice, 12:15-12:45 p.m.

Susquehanna Art Museum
1401 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-233-8668; susquehannaartmuseum.org

Aug. 9-13: A Cool Week in August (Kids Camp), 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Aug. 18: Life Drawing Class, 6-9 p.m.

The Susquehanna Folk Music Society
717-745-6577; sfmsfolk.org

Aug. 13: Spoonful of Jazz solo jazz dance class, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

The Ware Center
42 N. Prince St., Lancaster
717-871-2308; artsmu.com

Aug. 3-5: The What @ the Ware free art workshops for kids, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Wildwood Park
100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg
717-221-0292; wildwoodlake.org

Aug. 4, 12: Kayak the Swatara with Cocoa Kayaks, 5:45-7:45 p.m.
Aug. 5: Greenbelt Connector Walk, 8:30-10:30 a.m.
Aug. 10: Wild Edibles Program, 6-8 p.m.
Aug. 11: Preschool Storytime—Summer at Wildwood, 10-10:45 a.m.
Aug. 14: Volunteer Work Day, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Aug. 14: Natural Tie-Dye, 12-3 p.m.
Aug. 15: Flower Walk—Heat Tolerant Plants, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.
Aug. 21: Kids Discover—The 10 Essentials (ages 5-10), 9-11 a.m.
Aug. 21: Art Heals, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Aug. 24: Kids Discover—Monarchs (ages 5-10), 9-11 a.m.
Aug. 28: Run Wild for Wildwood 5K/10K, 9-11 a.m.

Live Music

American Music Theatre
2425 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster
717-397-7700; amtshows.com

Aug. 1: The Glenn Miller Orchestra
Aug. 4: One Night of Queen—Gary Mullen and the Works
Aug. 5: Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons
Aug. 7: The Golden Boys starring Frankie Avalon, Fabian and Bobby Rydell
Aug. 12: Chris Janson
Aug. 13: The Man in Black—A Tribute to Johnny Cash
Aug. 19: Gene Watson, The Bellamy Brothers
Aug. 20: Stayin’ Alive—One Night of the Bee Gees
Aug. 22: Herman’s Hermits, Peter Noone, The Buckinghams
Aug. 29: Air Supply

Appell Center for the Performing Arts
50 N. George St., York
717-846-1111; appellcenter.org

Aug. 7: The Lone Bellow
Aug. 12: Gordon Lightfoot
Aug. 27: Ben Folds
Aug. 28: York Symphony’s Open Air

Boneshire Brew Works
7462 Derry St., Harrisburg
717-469-5007; boneshire.com

Aug. 5: John Rossey

Central PA Friends of Jazz
friendsofjazz.org

Aug. 13: Gretna Grooves—Tuba Skinny

The Englewood
1219 Research Blvd. Hummelstown
717-256-9480; [email protected]

Aug. 1, 10, 22, 29: Jazz Brunch with Central PA Friends of Jazz
Aug. 4, 11, 18, 25: Wednesday Jazz Series
Aug. 7: The Stable Shaker
Aug. 15: Cracker
Aug. 21: The Sorters
Aug. 27: The Wild Hymns
Aug. 28: Hall Williams Band (Pre-Dead & Company show)

Fort Hunter
5300 N. Front St., Harrisburg
717-599-5751; forthunter.org

Aug. 27: Sunset Series, Susquehanna Folk Music Society presents Colebrook Road

Gretna Music
gretnamusic.org

Aug. 1: Hermitage Piano Trio
Aug. 13: Tuba Skinny
Aug. 14: Nora Brown
Aug. 15: All-Mozart String Trio
Aug. 29: Miranda Cuckson

Harrisburg University Presents
www.concertseries.harrisburgu.edu

Aug. 14: Pvris, Royal & The Serpent (XL Live)
Aug. 24-25: Brit Floyd (Hershey Theatre)
Aug. 25: All Time Low (XL Live)
Aug. 27: Young the Giant (Riverfront Park)
Aug. 28: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (Riverfront Park)

Hershey Public Library
701 Cocoa Ave., Hershey
717-533-6555; hersheylibrary.org

Aug. 13: Open Mic

Hershey Theatre
15 E. Caracas Ave., Hershey
717-534-3405; hersheytheatre.com

Aug. 6: Squeeze—The Nomadband Tour
Aug. 24-25: Brit Floyd

H*MAC
1110 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-441-7506; harrisburgarts.com

Aug. 5: Freeway
Aug. 6: Alesana
Aug. 7: Hinder
Aug. 8: Scott H. Biram
Aug. 10: Phish 2-Day Afterparty Extravaganza
Aug. 12: Completely Unchained
Aug. 14: Big Gorgeous
Aug. 14: G-REX & SWARM
Aug. 18: Brendan Kelly
Aug. 19: Steve Hofstetter
Aug. 21: Sam Grow
Aug. 21: Ozzfest Tribute Festival
Aug. 22: King 810
Aug. 27: Liliac
Aug. 27: Thick
Aug. 28: Dieselbag the Destroyer
Aug. 28: Garrett Shultz, Bobby Law, Benjamin Beiler, Tyler Short
Aug. 29: Red Not Chili Peppers

Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art
176 Water Company Rd., Millersburg
717-692-3699; nedsmithcenter.org

Aug. 7: Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root with Dirk Miller
Aug. 21: Shotgunn

St. Thomas Roasters
5951 Linglestown Rd., Harrisburg
717-526-4171; stthomasroasters.com

Aug. 7: Rhodes & Putt
Aug. 14: Grit
Aug. 21: Craig Bonner
Aug. 28: Just Dave

Susquehanna Chorale
One College Ave., Mechanicsburg
717-533-7859; susquehannachorale.org

Aug. 22: Music for a Summer’s Evening at Mt. Gretna’s open-air Tabernacle

The Susquehanna Folk Music Society
717-745-6577; sfmsfolk.org

Aug. 11: Bringing it Home—Beautiful Gestures
Aug. 13: Tuba Skinny

Whitaker Center
222 Market St., Harrisburg
717-214-ARTS; whitakercenter.org

Aug. 31: Drive-By Truckers

XL Live
801 S. 10th St., Harrisburg
717-409-8975; xlhbg.com

Aug. 6: Colt Wilbur
Aug. 7: Nate Myers, Bobby Gentilo, Ben Brandt
Aug. 13: Shwayze
Aug. 14: Pvris, Royal & The Serpent
Aug. 25: All Time Low

Zeroday Brewing Co.
250 Reily St., Harrisburg
717-745-6218; zerodaybrewing.com

Aug. 4: Shrimp Ryan Jig Band
Aug. 11: Side of Yams
Aug. 25: Mark Santanna

The Stage Door

American Music Theatre
2425 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster
717-397-7700; amtshows.com

Aug. 21: “Stomp”

Appell Center for the Performing Arts
50 N. George St., York
717-846-1111; appellcenter.org

Aug. 13: Kelly Collette and Buddy Harris

Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre
510 Centerville Rd., Lancaster
717-898-1900; DutchApple.com

Aug. 5-Sept. 4: “Grumpy Old Men”

Fort Hunter
5300 N. Front St., Harrisburg
717-599-5751; forthunter.org

Aug. 13: Sunset Series—Open Stage of Harrisburg Broadway Cabaret

Gamut Theatre Group
15 N. 4th St., Harrisburg
717-238-4111; gamuttheatre.org

Aug. 7, 14: Popcorn Hat Players present “Thumbelina”

Harrisburg Comedy Zone
110 Limekiln Rd., New Cumberland
717-920-5653; harrisburgcomedyzone.com

Aug. 6: Divas Down Under “Sizzling Summer” Drag Show

Hershey Area Playhouse
830 Cherry Dr., Hershey
717-533-8525; hersheyareaplayhouse.com

Aug. 1: “Rock of Ages”

Hershey Public Library
701 Cocoa Ave., Hershey
717-533-6555; hersheylibrary.org

Aug. 5: Zoom—”Aesop’s Fables” with Bright Star Theatre
Aug. 19: Zoom—”Mother Nature” with Kit’s Interactive Theatre

H*MAC
1110 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-441-7506; harrisburgarts.com

Aug. 1: Queens Who Brunch

Keystone Theatrics
The Playhouse at Allenberry
1559 Boiling Springs Rd., Boiling Springs
717-258-3211; keystonetheatrics.com

Aug. 1: “Grease”

The Ware Center
42 N. Prince St., Lancaster
717-871-2308; artsmu.com

Aug. 6: We The People First Friday—Asian Culture Celebration

Whitaker Center
222 Market St., Harrisburg
717-214-ARTS; whitakercenter.org

Aug. 20: Anthony Rodia

Zeroday Brewing Co.
250 Reily St., Harrisburg
717-745-6218; zerodaybrewing.com

Aug. 19: Boozie Bingo with Felicia O’Toole

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

Happenings: Our July Calendar of Events

June 30, 2021 | by Missy Smith

Museums & Art Spaces

AACA Museum
161 Museum Dr., Hershey
717-566-7100; aacamuseum.org

“Minibike Mania,” a display of more than two dozen miniature motorbikes, through Oct. 16

“Keep on Truckin’: Light Duty Trucks,” an exhibit focused on the history of pickup trucks, through Oct. 22

“Iconic Chevrolets,” an exhibit presented by the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America

“Hershey’s History: Before & After Chocolate,” through Oct. 22

Art Association of Harrisburg
21 N. Front St., Harrisburg
717-236-1432; artassocofhbg.com

“Free For All, 3rd Annual Student & Member Show,” through July 8

“93rd International Annual Juried Show,” July 16-Sept. 2; reception, July 16, 5-8 p.m.

Carlisle Arts Learning Center (CALC)
38 W. Pomfret St., Carlisle
717-249-6973; carlislearts.org

“Ink/Glaze/Paper/Clay,” ceramic constructions by Beverlee Lehr and ink drawings by Jo Margolis, which are explorations of the interaction of shape and form, through July 24

The Cornerstone Coffeehouse
2133 Market St., Camp Hill
thecornerstonecoffeehouse.com

July artist of the month

Dickinson College
The Trout Gallery
240 W. High St., Carlisle
717-254-8159; troutgallery.org

“Remnant: Studio Majors Thesis Exhibition,” featuring projects by senior studio art majors, Anthony Cervino, and Andy Bale, through Sept. 11

“In Light of the Past,” an exhibition considering how we experience photographs, through Oct. 9

Hershey Area Art Association (HAAA)
hersheyart.org

HAAA member art display at Hershey Public Library, through Oct. 10

The Millworks
340 Verbeke St.; Harrisburg
717-695-4888; millworksharrisburg.com

New works by Joelle and Justin Arawjo, Huckle Buckle Boys, Paul Gallo, Averil Shepps and PD Murray, through July 11

New works by Ann Benton Yeager, Paul Vasiliades, Rebecca Adey, Mary Gelenser, John Davis and Amie Bantz, July 14-Aug. 15

Pennsylvania National Fire Museum
1820 N. 4th St., Harrisburg
717-232-8915; pnfm.org

Exhibits dedicated to Pennsylvania firefighting history

Perry County Council of the Arts
PCCA Gallery, 1 S. 2nd St., Newport
717-567-7023; perrycountyarts.org

“Director’s Choice,” a selection of outstanding student artwork from Youth Art Day 2021, through July 17

“Art of a Pandemic,” group art exhibition examining the challenges and isolation, reality adjustments and new experiences of the last year, July 24-Sept. 18

Susquehanna Art Museum
1401 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-233-8668; susquehannaartmuseum.org

“Persephone/Persephone,” a multi-panel collaborative installation by Elody Gyekis and Joanne Landis, through Aug. 8

“From Selfie to Community,” large-format woodcut self-portraits created by Bloomsburg University printmaking students, through July 18

“The Circle of Truth, 49 Paintings Ending with Ed Ruscha,” through Sept. 19

“Meanderings,” a collection of variable collagraphic prints by artist Valerie R. Dillon, through Oct. 17

Wildwood Park
100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg
717-221-0292; wildwoodlake.org

“Art in the Wild” exhibit of naturally inspired trailside installations created by artists using mostly natural materials and inspired by the theme “reimagining,” through Sept. 30

Read, Make, Learn

Carlisle Arts Learning Center (CALC)
38 W. Pomfret St., Carlisle
717-249-6973; carlislearts.org

July 12-16: Trash to Treasure! A Reclaimed Art Experience (ages 5-12), 1-4 p.m.
July 13: All Day Plein Air Workshop, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
July 21: Collage & Paint, 6-8 p.m.
July 24: Experimental Mixed Media 1-Day Workshop, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
July 26-30: Pop Goes the Sculpture (ages 5-12), 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
July 26-30: Bookworm Boogie Bookmaking Workshop (ages 5-12), 1-4 p.m.
July 26-30: CALC & YWCA One Voice, Artistic Expression (rising 3^rd-5^th graders), 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
July 31: Bundle Dye with Flowers and Herbs, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Dauphin County Library System
dcls.org

July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: Discord Hangouts—Chat, 3-5 p.m.
July 1, 15, 29: Librarians on Twitch, 6-8 p.m.
July 2: Virtual Dungeons and Dragons, 7 p.m.
July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30: Preschool Storytime on Zoom, 10 a.m.
July 3, 10, 17, 24: Teen Dungeons and Dragons on Zoom, 3 p.m.
July 6: Novel Thoughts Book Club, 6 p.m.
July 6, 13, 20, 27: Discord Hangouts—Gaming, 3-5 p.m.
July 6, 13, 20, 27: Virtual Family Storytime, 6 p.m.
July 7, 14, 21, 28: Virtual Toddler Storytime, 10 a.m.
July 7, 14, 21, 28: Young Adult Book Club on Zoom, 4 p.m.
July 12, 19, 26: Virtual Born to Read (up to 18 months), 9:30 a.m.
July 12, 19, 26: Art Club, 4 p.m.
July 13: Virtual Reading the Rainbow Book Club, 7 p.m.
July 13: The Next Chapter Book Club, 4 p.m.
July 20: Virtual Animal Crossing with The Library, 4 p.m.
July 22: Lawyers in Libraries—Civil Legal Services, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
July 28: Spanish Language Conversation Group, 12-1 p.m.
July 28: Crafternoon with The Library, 4 p.m.

Elizabethtown Public Library
10 S. Market St., Elizabethtown
717-367-7467; etownpubliclibrary.org

July 1, 15: STEM Stations, 2 p.m.
July 1, 15, 29: Family Storytime, 10:30 a.m.
July 6, 20: Teen Summerzine 2021 on Zoom (ages 12-19), 4-5:30 p.m.
July 10, 24: Make It, Break It (ages 5+), 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
July 12, 19, 26: Baby Time, 10:30 a.m.
July 12, 19, 26: Make It! Mondays, 12:30 p.m.
July 14, 21, 28: Toddler Time, 10:30 a.m.
July 22: Forgotten Friends, Reptiles, 10:30 a.m.
July 22: Big Bubble Bonanza, 2 p.m.
July 22: Tales of Authors Movie Night, 5 p.m.
July 29: ZooAmerica Tales of Tails, 1 p.m.

Fort Hunter
5300 N. Front St., Harrisburg
717-599-5751; forthunter.org

July 13: Park Rx—Art Heals w/Susquehanna Art Museum, 6-7:30 p.m.
July 28: French and Indian War in America, Pa., and the Lives of Soldiers virtual illustrated talk, 7-8 p.m.

Fredricksen Library
100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill
717-761-3900; fredricksenlibrary.org

July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: Zoom Resume Writing Workshop, 10:30-11:30 a.m., 4:30-5:30 p.m.
July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30: Virtual Get That Job! Workshop, 10:30-11:30 a.m., 4:30-5:30 p.m.
July 7: Zoom—Moving Forward Book Group w/ Hospice of Central PA, 1-2 p.m.
July 5, 19: Zoom—Fredricksen Writes on Zoom, 6:45 p.m.
July 5, 19: Zoom STEM Storytime, 10 a.m.
July 12, 26: Teen Grab and Go Bag (ages 7-12), 9 a.m.
July 13: Zoom—Curl up with the Classics on Zoom—”Our Town,” 10-11 a.m.
July 26: Virtual Fredricksen Reads, 7-8 p.m.

Gallery on the Square
Millersburg Area Art Association
226 Union St., Millersburg
Facebook: Gallery on the Square

July 10, 17: Fresh herb wreath workshop, 2-4 p.m.

Harrisburg Young Professionals
hyp.org

July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: HYP Kickball, 6-9:45 p.m.
July 6: Trash Tuesday, 7 p.m.
July 11: Sunset Rocks Hike, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
July 11: HYP Book Club—“The Woman in the Window,” 2 p.m.
July 19: Wildwood Walk After Work, 6-8 p.m.
July 25: Little Buffalo Hike, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Hershey Area Art Association (HAAA)
hersheyart.org

July 10: Advanced Fluid Art Class, 1-4:30 p.m.
July 12, 14, 19, 21: 4-Day Drawing workshop, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
July 17: Sip and Paint, 3-5 p.m.
July 22-23: Watercolor Realism 2-Day Workshop, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Hershey Public Library
701 Cocoa Ave., Hershey
717-533-6555; hersheylibrary.org

July 1: Longwood Gardens’ Community Read with Abra Lee, 7-8 p.m.
July 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, 29: Penn State Hershey—Mothers & Babies Together, 10 a.m.
July 1, 8, 15, 22: Reading Garden—The Story Garden, 10 a.m.
July 2, 9, 16, 23: Virtual LEGO Club, 3:45 p.m.
July 5, 12, 19: Lose the Quarantine 15 Library Style, 9 a.m.
July 5, 12, 19: Facebook Live—Stories for Everyone, 10-10:30 a.m.
July 6, 13, 20: Read Stampede Walking Group, 9 a.m.
July 7, 14, 21: Reading Garden—Furry Tales, 6:30 p.m.
July 17: Fused Glass Class, 10 a.m.- 1 p.m.
July 20: Crafts in the Reading Garden (teens & tweens), 6:30-8 p.m.
July 27: Community Blood Drive, 1:30 p.m.
June 26: Family Book Group—“Mirrors, Windows & Sliding Glass Doors,” 2 p.m.

Joseph T. Simpson Public Library
16 N. Walnut St., Mechanicsburg
717-766-0171; simpsonlibrary.org

July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: Mah Jongg, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: Toddler Time (18 months to 3 years), 11:10 a.m.
July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: Rhyme Time (18 months and younger), 12 p.m.
July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: Story Time on Zoom (ages 3-6), 1:30-2 p.m.
July 6, 13, 20, 27: Tea & Stitches, 10-11 a.m.
July 6, 13, 20, 27: Try-It Tuesday, 1 p.m., 6 p.m.
July 9, 23: Dungeons & Dragons (grades 6-12), 6-8 p.m.
July 10: Block Party!, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
July 12: English Conversation Club, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
July 14: Mad About Mysteries on Zoom, 7-8 p.m.
July 19: Monday Night Book Club, 7-8 p.m.
July 24: Trivia at Home— Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?, 6-8 p.m.

Middletown Public Library
20 N. Catherine St., Middletown
717-944-6412; middletownpubliclib.org

July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30: Online Science Fiction Book Club
July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30: Star Trek Rewatch online group
July 6, 13, 20, 27: Tales with T.A.I.L.S., 6-7 p.m.
July 7, 14, 21, 28: Wagging Tails Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

Midtown Scholar Bookstore-Café
1302 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-236-1680; midtownscholar.com

July 15: An Evening with Michael Pollan, 8-9 p.m.
July 20: Chuck Wendig in Conversation with Aaron Mahnke, 7-8 p.m.
July 28: Eddie Glaude Jr. in Conversation with Drew Hart, 7-8 p.m.

The Millworks
340 Verbeke St.; Harrisburg
717-695-4888; millworksharrisburg.com

July 5: First Saturday, 2-5 p.m.
July 14, 28: Free Kids Class on the Roof, 5-7 p.m.
July 17, 18: Fluid Art Class
June 25, 26, 27: Abstract Workshop

National Civil War Museum
One Lincoln Circle, Harrisburg
717-260-1861; nationalcivilwarmuseum.org

July 17: “Shaping the Contours of Federalism: The American Civil War in New Prospective,” 1-2 p.m.

New Cumberland Public Library
1 Benjamin Plaza, New Cumberland
717-774-7820; newcumberlandlibrary.org

July 1-2: Dinosaur Tails and Tales Take and Make Activity Kit, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
July 1-2: Grab & Go STEAM Jr. (ages 5-8), 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
July 1-30: Grab & Go STEAM (ages 8-12), 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
July 5-Aug. 2: Ready for K!, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
July 6, 13: Babies & Books, 9:15-9:45 a.m.
July 8: ZooAmerica Tails & Tales on Zoom, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
July 12: Farm Storytime (ages 3-6), 10:30-11 a.m.
July 12-17: Farm Tails Kit, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
July 12-17: Tasty Take and Make, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
July 13: Nature Activity—Weather (ages 3-7), 10:30-11:15 a.m.
July 17: Children’s Book Writers Critique Group, 2-4 p.m.
July 19-24: Jungle Tails Kit, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
July 19-24: Superhero Take and Make, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
July 26-31: Pet Tails Kit, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
July 29: Summit Search & Rescue: Rescue Dog Demonstration, 10:30-11:15 a.m.

Palmyra Public Library
50 Landings Dr., Annville
717-838-1347; palmyra.lclibs.org

July 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22: Little Explorers Virtual Early Learning Classes, 10:30-11 a.m.
July 10-15: Annual Used Book Sale
July 12, 19, 26: Tails and Tales Monday Morning Virtual Program, 11-12 p.m.
July 14: Book Club, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania
300 North St., Harrisburg
717-787-4980; statemuseumpa.org

July 2, 17: StoryTime (age 2-PreK, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
July 2: Virtual Artists Conversations—Fashioning a New Nation, 12:15-12:45 p.m.
July 7, 14, 21, 28: Explore! (grades 3-5), 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
July 8, 15, 22, 29: Curiosity Kids (grades K-2), 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
July 9: Virtual Adventures in Nature Lab—Fishes of the Susquehanna River, 12:15-12:45 p.m.
July 11: Virtual Tonight’s Sky—A Live Chat with the Planetarium Director, 2-3 p.m.
July 16: Virtual Curator’s Choice, 12:15-12:45 p.m.
July 23: Virtual State Museum Perspective, 12:15 p.m.
July 30: Virtual Treasures from the Vault, 12:15-12:45 p.m.

Susquehanna Art Museum
1401 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-233-8668; susquehannaartmuseum.org

July 10, 17, 24, 31: Saturday Morning Art Club, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
July 10, 17, 24, 31: Young Artist Camp, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
July 21: Life Drawing Class, 6-9 p.m.

Wildwood Park
100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg
717-221-0292; wildwoodlake.org

July 1: Bird Walk—Nesting Birds, 7:30-9:30 a.m.
July 1-31: Wildwood Park Coloring Contest, 10- a.m.-4 p.m.
July 9: Kids Discover—Nature Journaling (ages 4-6), 10-11:30 a.m.
July 9: Kids Discover—Nature Journaling (ages 7-10), 1-2:30 p.m.
July 10: Volunteer Work Day, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
July 15: Kids Discover—Outdoor Play, 5-7 p.m.
July 17: Sustainable Forestry—A Flower Arranging Workshop, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
July 18: Flower Walk—Still More Blooms, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.
July 21, 27: Kayak the Swatara with Cocoa Kayaks, 5:45-7:45 p.m.
July 27: Detweiler Park Photo Walk, 8-10 a.m.

Live Music

American Music Theatre
2425 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster
717-397-7700; amtshows.com

July 1: Michael W. Smith
July 11: The Original Coasters, Charlie Thomas’ Drifters & Sonny Turner
July 17: Little River Band
July 23: The Lettermen
July 24: The Oak Ridge Boys
July 30: Mark Lowry
July 31: Resurrection, a Journey Tribute

Boneshire Brew Works
7462 Derry St., Harrisburg
717-469-5007; boneshire.com

July 1: Marrisa Porter
July 8: Jeff Seyfried
July 22: Shawan Rice

Central PA Friends of Jazz
friendsofjazz.org

July 10: Gretna Grooves—Jazzmeia Horn
July 16: Harrisburg Jazz Collective at Fort Hunter Park

The Englewood
1219 Research Blvd. Hummelstown
717-256-9480; [email protected]

July 11, 18, 25: Jazz Brunch with Central PA Friends of Jazz

July 7, 14, 28: Wednesday Jazz Series

July 10: Clyde Wrenn & Rebecca Gray

July 16: Teen Town

July 21: Big Band Jazz with The Harrisburg Jazz Collective (formerly River City Big Band)

July 24: Patrick Cusick

July 31: Crippled But Free

Fort Hunter
5300 N. Front St., Harrisburg
717-599-5751; forthunter.org

July 2: Sunset Series, Central Pennsylvania Music Hall of Fame presents Dandy
July 16: Sunset Series, Central PA Friends of Jazz presents Harrisburg Jazz Orchestra

Gretna Music
gretnamusic.org

July 3: Gretna Music for Kids—Charlotte Blake Alston
July 10: Jazzmeia Horn
July 11: Allen Krantz and Julien Labro
July 25: Chanticleer
July 29: Mutts Gone Nuts
July 31: Gretna Music for Kids—Empire Wild

Hershey Public Library
701 Cocoa Ave., Hershey
717-533-6555; hersheylibrary.org

July 16: Open Mic
July 20: Mark DeRose

HMAC
1110 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-441-7506; harrisburgarts.com

July 2: Medusa’s Disco, Rascal Revival, Illusions of Grandeur
July 2: First Friday at The New HMAC
July 3: Breakfast with Tiffany
July 3: The Seldom Scene
July 9: Wildstreet
July 10: PNB Rock
July 11: Sevendust
July 16: In House We Trust, Mochahontas, Chocolate Diva
July 16: Babyface Ray
July 23: Laine Hardy
July 24: Struggle Jennings
July 24: Blunts & Blondes
July 31: Gemini Syndrome

Market Square Concerts
marketsquareconcerts.org

July 21: Jasper String Quartet
July 24: Francisco Fullana
July 27: Harlem String Quartet

The Millworks
340 Verbeke St.; Harrisburg
717-695-4888; millworksharrisburg.com

Live music on the roof every Thursday

Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art
176 Water Company Rd., Millersburg
717-692-3699; nedsmithcenter.org

July 23: Enter the Haggis

Open Stage of Harrisburg
223 Walnut St., Harrisburg
717-232-OPEN; openstagehbg.com

July 9-30: Carole King’s “Tapestry” Live

The Susquehanna Folk Music Society
717-745-6577; sfmsfolk.org

July 11: Happy Traum

Whitaker Center
222 Market St., Harrisburg
717-214-ARTS; whitakercenter.org

July 1: 2nd Annual Central Pennsylvania Music Awards
July 17: Almost Queen

XL Live
801 S. 10th St., Harrisburg
717-409-8975; xlhbg.com

July 9: Big Fat Meanies, Wynton Existing, Wallace
July 10: Pentagon
July 16: Smooth Like Clyde
July 17: Defiant, If Not For Me, Gallowglas, Ultraviolent, Voice The Chaos, Dreams of Eden
July 23, 24: Yam Yam, Brandon “TAZ” Niederauer
July 29: Adelitas Way
July 30: The Amish Outlaws

Zeroday Brewing Co.
250 Reily St., Harrisburg
717-745-6218; zerodaybrewing.com

July 7: Shrimp Ryan’s Jig Band
July 10: Peter Stone
July 14: Side of Yams
July 15: Boozy Bingo hosted by Felicia O’Toole
July 28: Mark Santanna

The Stage Door

Appell Center for the Performing Arts
50 N. George St., York
717-846-1111; appellcenter.org

July 9: Corey Hunter

Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre
510 Centerville Rd., Lancaster
717-898-1900; DutchApple.com

July 3-31: “Beauty and the Beast”

Fort Hunter
5300 N. Front St., Harrisburg
717-599-5751; forthunter.org

July 30: Sunset Series Gamut Theatre TMI Improv

Gamut Theatre Group
15 N. 4th St., Harrisburg
717-238-4111; gamuttheatre.org

July 14-Aug. 14: Popcorn Hat Players present “Thumbelina”
July 16-17: Shakespeare in the Woods at Ned Smith Center

Harrisburg Comedy Zone
110 Limekiln Rd., New Cumberland
717-920-5653; harrisburgcomedyzone.com

July 2: Divas Down Under “Triumphant Return” Drag Show
July 9, 10: Andy Beningo and Tony Vihn

Hershey Area Playhouse
830 Cherry Dr., Hershey
717-533-8525; hersheyareaplayhouse.com

July 22-Aug. 1: “Rock of Ages”

HMAC
1110 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-441-7506; harrisburgarts.com

July 11: Queens Who Brunch

Keystone Theatrics
The Playhouse at Allenberry
1559 Boiling Springs Rd., Boiling Springs
717-258-3211; keystonetheatrics.com

July 16-Aug. 1: “Grease”

Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art
176 Water Company Rd., Millersburg
717-692-3699; nedsmithcenter.org

July 16-17: Gamut Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Woods—“Hamlet”

Open Stage of Harrisburg
223 Walnut St., Harrisburg
717-232-OPEN; openstagehbg.com

July 9-30: Carole King’s “Tapestry” Live

Oyster Mill Playhouse
1001 Oyster Mill Road, Camp Hill
717-737-6768; oystermill.com

July 9-17: “The Last Five Years” stream event

The Susquehanna Folk Music Society
717-745-6577; sfmsfolk.org

July 14: “Andy’s Wild Amphibian Show” livestream
July 14: “Liars Contest”

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Chapter Two: McCormick Riverfront Library launches fundraising campaign for expansion, renovations

May 5, 2021 | by Maddie Conley Gittens

A rendering of the rear exterior of the library. The pictured staircase addition will connect the Haldeman Haly house with the existing McCormick Riverfront Library.

A sequel of sorts is in the works at one Harrisburg library.

On Wednesday, the Dauphin County Library System launched a $3.5 million capital campaign to raise funds for an expansion and renovation of the McCormick Riverfront Library in downtown Harrisburg.

The project, which is expected to begin in July, will entail connecting the current building to a historic home next door, the two-century-old Haldeman Haly house, explained DCLS Executive Director Karen Cullings. Other improvements will be made to better utilize space in the Riverfront library, as well.

“At the end of the day, it’s not really about the buildings, but it’s about the people and what we will be able to deliver out of the buildings to the community,” Cullings said at a press conference. “What we are seeking to do is create a place where everyone belongs and feels welcomed.”

The fundraising campaign kicks off this weekend with a live-streamed conversation between DCLS and author Susan Orlean, who is coming to Whitaker Center.

In a time when more people are working from home and much of education is online, Cullings still sees the need for a community space to gather, learn and work. That’s what the library plans to expand with this project.

In the main library building, the downstairs will be opened up for public use, including a new welcome center named after T. Morris Chester, a Black lawyer, soldier and prominent figure in Harrisburg history. The library will also move the current children’s section downstairs, expanding it and adding STEAM-focused elements, as well as classrooms and career development space.

A rendering of the children’s section

DCLS is partnering with the Commonwealth Monument Project to create an area dedicated to the city’s African American history. Cullings said that they will especially highlight the Old 8^th Ward, an Black and immigrant neighborhood that was demolished during the state Capitol expansion.

“Above all, we want to make sure that all we do reflects the backgrounds and cultures of those in our community,” Cullings said.

Upstairs, Cullings said that they plan to create a more open floor plan by exposing the vaulted ceiling, as well as adding moveable bookshelves, a business support area and a coffee bar.

The main building will connect to the Haldeman Haly house, which the library purchased in July 2019 for $295,000 from long-time owner, attorney William Balaban.

The Haldeman Haly house

Cullings said that they plan to keep the character and layout of the historic building intact, using the rooms as meeting and event spaces for the public, as well as office space for library staff. The property also has an outdoor space and room for parking—a feature that the library hasn’t had.

The house, originally owned by Sarah Haldeman Haly, predates the library building, which sits on what once was her garden. In 1896, Haly bequeathed the property to the library system. The McCormick library became the first free public library in the city.

A room inside the Haldeman Haly house

DCLS hopes to continue to build on its mission of offering accessible services, expanding to include more programs for ex-offenders and those in need of workforce training.

“The city of Harrisburg has some unique challenges,” said Brandon Flood, a board member at DCLS. “I know how valuable the library is as a resource.”

Although the capital campaign, “Your Place to Belong,” is just kicking off, Cullings said that they are already halfway to their goal, but are looking for community support to reach it.

“The library is a cornerstone of the community and needs to be dynamic, growing and changing as the community grows,” Cullings said.

To donate to the “Your Place to Belong” campaign, visit the website. For more information, visit the Dauphin County Library Systems website.

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