Harrisburg Magazine August 2023

PRESIDENT/CEO

Darwin Oordt doordt@harrisburgmagazine.com

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Darcy Oordt darcy@harrisburgmagazine.com

GENERAL MANAGER

DIRECTOR OF SALES

Chris Aloia caloia@harrisburgmagazine.com

DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MARKETING

Jennifer George jgeorge@harrisburgmagazine.com

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Jo Ann Shover jshover@harrisburgmagazine.com

MANAGING EDITOR Randy Gross rgross@harrisburgmagazine.com

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Imogene Gross imogene@harrisburgmagazine.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

LAYOUT ARTIST

Shane Fisher (Carino) scarino@harrisburgmagazine.com

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Richard Eppinger

CONTRIBUTING

Alfredo

Imogene Gross

Lynne Reeder

Bill Roddey

CONTRIBUTING

Imogene Gross

Will Masters

CONTRIBUTING

Georgia DuCharme

Brad Maurer

BY ROSANNE S. WOLFE, WINNER OF OUR FIRST-EVER “ICONS OF HARRISBURG” COMPETITION.

Twenty-six years – and counting. That’s how long Harrisburg Magazine has been delivering Simply the Best of everything Central Pennsylvania has to offer to its readership in Dauphin, Cumberland, and Perry Counties (and beyond!) In human years, that may make our annual Simply the Best competition seem like a young pup that’s less than a decade removed from its teens, but as the one-and-only original award for the best products, services, and people in hundreds of categories – from Auto Body Shop to Wedding Planner – Harrisburg Magazine claims sole ownership of the granddaddy of all “best of the best” contests within a hundred miles of the capitol!

Just think of us as a St. Bernard that’s still striving to catch up to its formidable paws! Every year, Simply the Best grows bigger and better – to the current tune of 221 categories and a combined 522 Simply the Best & Readers’ Choice honors! In echoing Mr. Browning’s poetic words, we ask that you stick with us, because our best isn’t just this year – it’s every future year imaginable!

In these pages, of course, you’ll find our annual list of those who earned the esteemed distinction of Simply the Best. But, in our continuing efforts to improve our magazine, you’ll find plenty of other “cream of the crop” articles and features.

For starters, we recognize the talented artist behind this month’s Simply the Best cover, Rosanne S. Wolfe (pictured above), whose beautiful landscape painting in watercolor and gouache, Harrisburg Capitol, won our first-ever Icons of Harrisburg competition. After reading Imogene Gross’ insightful portrait of Wolfe you’ll surely want to own the painting yourself. Which may still be a possibility! At press time, bidding (to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) was still stuck at $600, so click here to find out if you still have a shot at having Wolfe’s one-of-akind work on your wall: https://givebutter. com/c/7fIGnw/auction/items/134635

One of our commitments is to regularly highlight some of the best food and drinks in the greater Harrisburg area, and this month is no exception! Imogene’s new “mystery diner” feature, Foodies for Thought, pays a visit to Charm, a Thai restaurant that’s only been serving delectable dishes like Panang Curry and Thai Smoked Chili to packed houses since the beginning of June. And our newest Bartender’s Choice goes outdoors to profile the Harrisburg Beach Club’s personable – and outdoor-loving –mixologist Nathan Diodato.

On the literary side, Alfredo Salvatore Arcilesi’s short story, “Pasture Statues,” begins with the line “Millie mooed,” and ends with “The cow stared at them.” We think you’ll seriously enjoy - and maybe even be caught

off guard – by all the seriousness in between. And five-time Perry County Poet Laureate Lynne Reeder’s “retrograde” is a reflective piece that’s perfect for a warm summer night.

As usual, we bring you a healthy dose of humor! Brad Maurer’s The Cercus cartoon takes a bug’s eye view of Midtown Harrisburg’s heron problem; and TV and movie actor (and former radio DJ) Bill Roddey continues to jab and poke at modern conventions with more Off the Cuff oneliners.

Don’t forget our columns! Alex Brubaker previews October’s Harrisburg Book Festival in By the Book; Tara Herweg relives the trials and tribulations of line memorization in Theatre Thoughts; Dr. Sumathi Suppiah (filling in for Andrea Reed) espouses the benefits of not only eating an early dinner, but eating it at the dinner table with family in Nourishing Bites; Kristen Zellner provides tips on protecting your pets from poor air quality in For the Love of Pets; Elena Rossetto “clowns around” with Harrisburg band The Barrelman in After the Beat; in Cinematic Ramblings, Film & TV historian Kevyn Knox provides a list of his Best Films of 2023 (so far); and, finally, Bryson Roof gives advice on how to plan for the unplanned in The Finance Hound

Stay cool during these dog days of summer … and remember, as ol’ blue eyes himself used to say, “the best is yet to come!”

“Grow old with me! The best is yet to be.”

– Robert Browning

Close your eyes for a moment and picture the scene: white Adirondack chairs adjacent to blue-and-white striped beach umbrellas just yards away from the waterfront. Cool breezes tousling the hair of sun-and-fun worshippers wearing shorts and flip flops and sipping ice-cold drinks freshly mixed by a bartender, who is also wearing shorts and flip flops, beneath a nearby canopy.

Now, open your eyes. Surprise, you aren’t on the boardwalk at Ocean City or Rehoboth Beach. The nearby waterfront is actually the mighty Susquehanna. And the T-shirt-andshorts attired mixologist who just whipped up that City Island Iced Tea for you is Nathan Diodato, bartender at the Harrisburg Beach Club, located – where else? – but City Island in Harrisburg!

Diodato, who has also been tending bar at Houlihan’s Restaurant & Bar in Hershey for the past eight years, has only been slinging

Life is a Beach (Club) for This Outdoorsy Drink Slinger

drinks at the Beach Club for several months, but the self-proclaimed outdoors enthusiast is definitely enjoying the change-of-pace from his indoor gig.

“I love working outdoors,” he exclaims. “It’s beautiful. Even when it rains, I’m under a tent, so it really doesn’t impact me. I’m in shade, so I’m not in the sun at all, and they have misters on the outside, too, so they hit a little bit. And for some reason, because it’s on the river, there’s always a breeze. I mean, it’s not like it’s the beach, but it is almost.”

An East Pennsboro High School grad and current Hummelstown resident, Diodato regularly swims, hikes, camps, and hits the nature trails with his two kids, so it’s no wonder his affinity for the “beach club” life has happened so naturally, and since the only food served at the Beach Club comes from a permanently parked food truck, he is digging the laid-back atmosphere.

“You know, it’s not stressful,” he says, calmly assembling the ingredients needed for a refreshing Orange Cream Crush (recipe at the end of this article). “Without the food, I only make drinks, and I really enjoy that a lot … just the bartending itself.”

Diodato is part of a rather large 18-to-20 member bartending team, so obviously is not alone in his love for being outdoors. As a part of that team, he often helps to come up with new or seasonal drinks, as he did for a Father’s Day event in June, and also a recent luau event.

But no special event or night is required for the Beach Club’s specialty drink, the aforementioned City Island Iced Tea (pictured), a flavorful – and colorful – concoction which Diodato describes as “a Long Island Iced Tea with Blue Curacao and Sprite instead of Coke.”

Also contributing to the “fun in the sun” atmosphere at the increasingly

Story by Randy Gross, rgross@harrisburgmagazine.com

Photos by Will Masters

popular waterfront spot is the regular live entertainment, including new Saturday night “Beach Bashes” that Diodato himself has a strong desire to bartend for. “I love these Saturday events because they have a bunch of different DJs and a bunch of different music going on, so it’s like an outdoor club scene.” He adds with a smile, “but not the late-night club scene, so it won’t be that crazy. It’ll be the 5-to-10 crowd, not the 10-to-2 crowd!”

For those who want some grub to go with their mixed drinks and beers, the food truck is mere steps away from the bar. Diodato recommends the nachos, made with “crock pot pulled pork and crock pot chicken … good cheese sauce, fresh veggies, salsa, sour cream, jalapenos … and chips made right in the food truck!”

Of course, one doesn’t have to stray very far away from the Harrisburg Beach Club’s front entranceway to experience even more fun: Water Golf on City Island, an 18-hole minigolf course, is only a hop away to the right, and FNB Field and its resident AA baseball team, the Harrisburg Senators, just a skip and a jump to the left.

Diodato’s Dossier

Words of advice to home mixologists: Taste test your cocktails. Mix a variety of different cordials with liquor and other mixers for different and fun cocktail concoctions.

Inspirations:

When I first started going out, I saw a bartender named Austin and he was very into his drinks and made them very efficiently, fast, creative, fun, and personable. He’s who inspired me to become a bartender.

Favorite spirit to mix: Tequila.

Recommendations of two or three spirits to try:

Bourbon is very popular, so I always recommend different bourbons. Rum mixes well with nearly anything, so that’s another recommendation as well.

Most Commonly ordered drinks at your bar:

Old Fashioneds, Manhattans, Martinis, Orange Crushes.

Your philosophy on drinks: My philosophy on making cocktails is not adding too many mixers. Some people enjoy or want more mixers/ juice. Typically, I pack my drinks with ice and use less mixers so as not to dilute the taste, that way customers can taste the alcohol and know it’s there.

Thoughts about your cocktails: I think my cocktails are great - strong, yet delicious.

What days/times do you typically work at the bar:

Tuesday - Friday / Saturday AM.

Recipe for August Drink of the month (or favorite drink to mix):

Orange Cream Crush

2 ounces Hidden Still vodka

3 ounces fresh OJ

.25 ounce vanilla

.5 ounce cream

Shake, strain over fresh ice with an orange garnish

Add an umbrella

NOMINATE A BARTENDER OR BARISTA! harrisburgmagazine.com/submissions

Use It…Or Lose It?

Irecently closed a show that was part of the first-ever Harrisburg Fringe Festival (I sincerely hope you were able to sample some of the smorgasbord that was on offer). It was so much fun – the cast, the crew, the show itself. It had been four years since I’d been onstage in Harrisburg, and, since we performed at Gamut Theatre, a company I worked for, it felt like coming home. I left the theatre feeling very warm and fuzzy indeed.

But I was also troubled. Something had happened to me that hadn’t happened in years (we’re talking maybe a decade or more). I had real trouble memorizing my lines.

When I was a Core Company member of Gamut Theatre, we performed regularly for school groups, both in-house and on tour. Those shows were always followed by Q&A sessions with the students. A question that we were almost guaranteed to hear is that old chestnut:

How do you memorize all those lines?

I think back now: how did I memorize all those lines? I had the privilege of playing Marc Antony in a touring production of Julius Caesar while suffering from pregnancy brain, and “Friends, Romans, countrymen” would trip off my tongue so darn easily. That’s not to say there weren’t hiccups – an inverted phrase here or there, but honestly, I never straight-up forgot what to say or where I was in the midst of that monster speech. Nothing occurred that left me unsettled afterward.

Memorization is tricky. I mean that literally. Actors have tricks aplenty in order to get their lines to reside in that special fold of gray matter where they can call on them at exactly the right time. Did I mention that you also need to have your cue lines up there as well? Plus, blocking, and stage business, and don’t forget a realistic (or absurd!) physical and emotional life for your character. Whew. I’m starting to feel a little more forgiving of myself now that I see it all in print.

Let’s get back to the tricks of this particular trade. I’m fairly certain that if you surveyed 100 actors, you would get 100 different answers as to what works.

Some actors rely on repetition (that’s my goto). My thinking is that if you hear a song often enough, even a song you don’t like, you’re going to learn the lyrics. Rehearsals supply enough repetition to get me about a third of the way to the goal. If repetition is also your go-to, you know that making the rest of the trip to Off-Booktown is contingent on finding enough free time to drill, baby, drill.

Other methods that I’ve learned from my fellow actors are recording lines and listening to them whenever time allows (e.g. on the drive to rehearsals); mnemonic devices (sidebar: a surprisingly effective trick when memorizing Shakespearean text, especially text in verse form, is reducing the lines to the first letter of each line, and testing your memory by filling in the blanks); one actor uses a complex system of visual cues in his mind that lead him from

one line to another.

Memorization, no matter what method an actor uses, hinges on the actor being able to carve out free time in order to do their homework. It is also up to the actor to budget that free time wisely. I’m a procrastinator (she types, knowing that this column is due within 24 hours), and that’s its own issue, but certainly doesn’t make memorizing lines any easier.

If you’re also feeling frustrated about memorizing lines (for myself, I’m staring down a large role headed my way in the fall), reread the part about all the stuff that we have to pack into our brains. Plan your free time accordingly. And then grant yourself a little grace.

Tara Herweg (she/her) is a native of Camp Hill, a former Core Company member of Gamut Theatre Group, and a huge fan of the Harrisburg theatre scene. Now she gets to call herself a writer, too (her 8-year-old self, Care Bears fanfic in hand, can hardly believe it)! She keeps herself busy working on her novel, watching horror movies, and raising her small human.

Protect Your Pets from Poor Air Quality

The recent Canada wildfire smoke that blanketed the east coast for several days this summer drove millions of people and pets indoors and put thousands of sensitive individuals at risk for health complications. Warnings for humans and pets to limit outdoor activities flooded the news outlets. Wildfire smoke is not usually a problem for our region so many of us were left unprepared. Here are some things you can do to protect your pets when the air quality is poor.

Keep pets indoors as much as possible.

Most dogs really have no choice about where to do their business, so keep those outdoor visits short. If your dog requires walking, take them on slow walks early or late in the day when the air quality is best. Rigorous exercise on poor air quality days can cause dogs the same kind of health issues as humans, but they won’t be able to tell you that they’re uncomfortable.

Birds and other caged pets are particularly sensitive and at higher risk of health complications caused by exposure to airborne irritants. To keep your indoor space safe for every creature, close your windows and put your air conditioning units on recirculation mode, if possible. Run an air purifier where your pets spend most of their time and turn off exhaust fans on the stove or in the bathroom. Burning candles, smoking, frying food, vacuuming, and cleaning with harsh chemicals should be avoided, as these things only add to the indoor air pollution.

Dogs can go stir crazy being indoors too long. Keep them busy by providing fun indoor activities like puzzles, chew toys, frozen treats, hide and seek games, and chasing balls. Mental stimulation can have the same effect as physical exercise.

If you have a cat that spends time roaming outside, bring them in until air quality improves. Give them a perch by the window to watch over their outdoor domain and add a bird feeder nearby for entertainment. Get their toys out and engage them in daily play time for exercise. If you can tire your cat out, they will be less likely to fuss about the

inability to go outside.

Clean your pets.

Dogs and cats are close to the ground, sticking their noses in everything. The particulates from the wildfires settle on every surface and collect on pets as they get stirred up. When you bring pets inside, wipe their faces, feet, and coat with a clean, damp cloth to remove any irritants. Using a wet cotton ball, you can flush debris from their eyes. Wet mopping floors will also reduce indoor air pollutants, benefiting both you and your pets.

Monitor your pets’ behavior.

Animals, too, can have trouble breathing, bronchitis and asthma symptoms. Watch for coughing, gagging, or wheezing. This could indicate that their airways are inflamed. Fatigue, rapid breathing, disorientation, and weakness can be a sign that your pet isn’t

getting enough oxygen. Brachycephalic breeds with short snouts, like pugs and bulldogs, as well as puppies and senior dogs, are more susceptible to breathing complications. Please contact your veterinarian for help if your pet is struggling during times of poor air quality.

Kristen Zellner owns Abrams & Weakley General Store for Animals, est. 1986, Central PA’s first health food store for pets. She helps customers keep their pets healthy through better nutrition.

What’s for dinner?

What’s for dinner? This is a question many families ask themselves several times each week. Dinner is often the meal that brings the family together; so, while it’s nice to make delicious meals, it’s equally essential to make nourishing and healthy meals.

The American Medical Association recognizes obesity as a chronic disease but losing just five to 10% of your body weight can improve many weight-related medical conditions. One of the four pillars of obesity treatment is better nutrition. What you eat for dinner and when and where you eat dinner matters. Eating an early dinner at the dinner table with the rest of the family will usually result in better outcomes for everyone. Data supports that the most significant predictor of success when picking a nutrition plan is if you can stick with it, so make a dinner plan with your family and follow it.

As an obesity physician, when planning a meal, I typically recommend starting with the MyPlate model, which consists of filling half of your plate with fresh vegetables, a quarter with protein, and splitting the final quarter in half between healthy fats and carbohydrates. Vegetables provide lots of nutrition, and protein makes you feel full and satisfied, which is very important to lose weight or keep a healthy weight.

I also connected with my colleagues specializing in breast cancer and heart health on what they think are important factors to consider when deciding what to eat for

dinner. Here are their recommendations:

Dr. Kit Lu, oncologist, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center

«When planning a meal, always choose a balanced diet. Two-thirds or more of your plate should be plant-based foods, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans. At most, one-third of your plate should be animal protein. You can also replace animal protein with plant proteins, such as beans, nuts, and tofu. Research shows that eating whole soy foods containing protein, iron, and calcium won›t increase your risk of breast cancer. Choose whole soy foods over highly processed soy foods and ingredients. These ingredients are safe for most people and won›t increase your cancer risk.»

Dr. Mehreen Qureshi, cardiologist, UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute

«The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) asserts that 80% of heart disease cases are preventable. Healthy eating is the first crucial step in this endeavor. The Mediterranean diet, backed by substantial scientific evidence, is the most supported dietary approach for reducing the risk of cardiac events. Opting for healthier cooking methods, such as using olive oil, baking, and steaming instead of frying, further enhances the nutritional value of our meals. While nutrition is crucial to our well-being, non-nutritional choices can also significantly affect prevention. Gathering with family for dinner promotes emotional bonding and positively impacts your mental health.»

Making good meal choices as a family promotes healthy eating in the present and forms good habits for the future. By planning and eating nutritious, well-balanced meals together, it’s more likely you will continue to make the same healthy decisions in the long term.

Dr. Sumathi Suppiah, MD, DABOM, is the medical director of medical weight management for the UPMC Central PA Weight Management Center. She is passionate about helping her patients achieve optimal health through good diet and nutrition, regular exercise, and mental health support. To learn more about medical weight management at UPMC in Central Pa., call 717-591-5638 or visit UPMC.com/ CentralPaWeightLoss.

retrograde

by Lynne Reeder

starlight permeates the clear night sky despite its source having died years and years ago.

they say there are more cells in the human body than there are stars in the milky way.

remnants of galaxies linger overhead and tumble over one another inside my skin.

grass tickling at my back, i stare at the proof of everything that no longer is

while my heart pushes multitudes through the constellation of my veins.

why do we believe time is a line,  that what was has no place in front of what is?

the light of women i loved burns through years their feet will never tread.

what remnants will i be  inside the skies of my daughters?

the dust of creation stirs. the universe calls.

centuries circle the moon,  and the tide in me responds.

Lynne Reeder has been published by Recenter Press, Sunbury Press, and Paragon Journal, among others. Lynne has also been named Perry County Poet Laureate five times by the Perry County Council of the Arts. She resides in Duncannon with her husband and two daughters.

How to Plan for the Unplanned

The recent fire at the Harrisburg Broad Street Market is a harsh reminder that life isn’t always fair. It’s a reminder that unexpected emergencies do happen. Events like this often make us question how we will proceed and highlights the reason that planning for unplanned events is required. With that in mind. let’s take a look at a few common myths surrounding contingency planning.

I bought insurance – everything’s okay!

Let’s be honest, insurance isn’t a fun topic. We all know a family member or friend who has paid insurance premiums for years and didn’t receive a payout whenever they needed it. That’s why it’s extremely important to dust off that insurance policy declaration so you can fully understand what your insurance policy covers and what your insurance policy doesn’t cover. Remember, the greater the coverage the greater the premium payout. Likewise, lower premium policies offer less protection. Balancing the correct coverage to premium cost is where an insurance agent can provide significant insight and value.

In the spirit of candor, I have absolutely no idea where my insurance declaration pages are. I cheat! Instead of trying to track down my insurance policies, I simply text my insurance agent to set up an annual insurance review. I share any major changes in my life and make prudent coverage adjustments as needed. For example, when I popped the question to Susie,

I called my agent and added an insurance policy to cover her engagement ring.

I

have a Will – my children are okay!

If you thought insurance wasn’t a fun topic, try estate planning on for size. That being said, it’s equally as important for protecting your family in case of an unplanned event. I frequently talk to young married couples who are just starting out. They use an online resource such as Legal Zoom to draft Powersof-Attorney and Wills. These online resources tend to provide quick turnaround times at a low cost, but often at the expense of quality. During a typical estate planning conversation, I ask the person who will be tasked with raising the children in the unfortunate event that they both pass away. Unfortunately, it’s quite common for both parents to have different ideas about what would happen in the case of an unforeseen death, but more importantly the Will might not specifically name a legal guardian. In many situations, this results in child guardianship issues being settled in Orphan’s Court. This is a very easily avoidable situation. I recommend individuals consult with a skilled Estate Planning Attorney.

Unplanned Contingencies – A Never Ending Threat!

As you grow, the potential for life altering events changes. In high school, totaling your car is a major financial setback. But as your lifestyle expands, you now have to cover

contingencies such as fire and flood for your home. As you enter marriage, you need to protect your income due to disability or death. Neither subject is fun, I fully admit that. But it’s critically important to know that you and your family are covered in the event of an unplanned contingency. It’s prudent to speak with your insurance agent and estate planning attorney on an annual basis. Keep them appraised of life events. Did you get married or have a child? Did you get a raise or start a business? Having an open dialogue with your trusted advisors will allow them to provide you with the best advice for your personal situation.

Bryson Roof, CFP, is a Financial Advisor at Fort Pitt Capital Group in Harrisburg, and has been quoted nationally in various finance publications including CNBC, U.S. News & World Report, and Barron’s.

Killer Whales are attacking boats now. So, I can soon see “The Planet Of The Orcas” at a movie theatre near you.

I got a new financial advisor: Power Ball. His financial advice is “You can’t win if you don’t play.”

“Does outer space end, or go on forever?” Johnny Mathis answered this in 1958 when he sang “Until the twelfth of never and that’s a long, long time.”

Best Films of 2023 (So Far!)

So, the year is more than half over now, which means it’s beyond time we talk about the best in cinema so far. My finalized Best of 2023 list will, of course, not be published until January, but what movies may we be seeing on there? Here are a few.

My favorite film of 2023 so far is Beau is Afraid, the fever dream comic-tragedy film from auteur Ari Aster, the man behind Hereditary and Midsommar. The film has gotten mixed reviews from my fellow critics, but perhaps many of these said fellow critics just don’t understand Aster – who, incidentally, is one of the best filmmakers working today. I would put him and all three of his films right up there with the likes of Kubrick and Hitchcock – two filmmakers who could easily be called the cinematic parents of Aster. And then you have that titular performance by Joaquin Phoenix, who is at his best in Beau is Afraid saying a lot considering his track record as an actor.

Another film sure to be on my aforementioned Best list is also another that has been misunderstood by many. Infinity Pool Brandon Cronenberg, son of David, is the auteur’s third film and his best yet. Like Beau, it is a rather disturbing film at times and not for everyone, but from a cinephile’s point of view it is a near perfect work of movie making. The film stars Alexander Skarsg Goth. And while we’re on the subject of Mia Goth, can’t we just put her in every movie made? I know it will be extra work for the actress, but it’ll be worth it. Anyhoo, I digress. Two more of my faves from the first half of the year are Wes Anderson’s 11th City, and the animated Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Both films are brilliantly designed to look like magic on the big screen. If these four films do not make my Best of 2023 list, that can only mean the second half of the year is a real doozy.

A lot of other very good movies from earlier this year are actually directorial debuts by women filmmakers. Blue Jean from Georgia Oakley; Palm Trees and Power Lines

Dack; Rye Lane from Raine Allen-Miller; Lives from Celine Song; Emily turned director Frances O’Connor; Society from Nida Manzoor; and Between from actor/director Alex Heller.

You can also toss in the films The Five Devils from French auteur Léa Mysius, Monica from Andrea Pallaoro (which is highlighted by a star-making performance from Trace Lysette), and Showing Up from Kelly Reichardt, who also directed the brilliantly heartbreaking Wendy and Lucy, among many other great films.

One last quick note. I will be seeing both Barbie and Oppenheimer between the writing of this column and the publishing of it, so a look at those two films which, judging from just my anticipation, could easily end up on my Best of 2023 list, will have to wait – for now.

That’s it gang. See ya at the movies.

I just got a new hobby: breathing. Thanks to the wildfires in Canada hovering over us, apparently I’ve taken up smoking.

A self-driving car on Auto Pilot is like an unguided missile. You don’t know what it’s gonna strike next.

It’s hotter out than a ghost pepper washed down with a mug of lava.

It’s so hot out my shadow is sweating.

It’s Take a Martian to Dinner Day. Good luck.

A “Charm”ing Experience: Meet Lemoyne’s New Thai Restaurant

Our spotlight is on another new restaurant this month as we visit Charm, a Thai restaurant that opened in Lemoyne on June 2nd. The first thing we noticed when we stepped into the welllighted little building on Market Street was the elegant décor in shades of black, brown, gold, and cream, from the place settings to the bar counter, which, although the restaurant doesn’t serve alcohol, serves as a point for takeout transactions, as well as additional seating. The second was the liveliness: the place was packed! The friendly staff had their hands full with a full house plus frequent takeout orders. It was a Friday night, after all, and dining space was limited. Advice to those wanting to check them out: get a reservation, especially if you plan to dine during peak hours.

Clearly the place has managed to generate a good deal of local enthusiasm already in its first

months, and we found the food to be deserving of the hype. To start, we ordered appetizers: two Thai rolls for them, and a veggie roll for me. Both plates arrived hot and fresh out of the fryer. Both varieties were typical eggrolls prepared well: the Thai rolls had a pork-based filling, while the veggie rolls had just the common non-meat fillings such as cabbage, broccoli, carrots, and bean thread noodles. Both were served with a thin pineapple-based sauce. Also during appetizers, one of the specialty drinks, among the more common offerings of Thai iced tea and coffee, caught our eye: Pink Milk. Also called Nom Yen, I’ve learned that this drink, served over ice, is made from milk (often evaporated or condensed milk for an extra-creamy texture) and Sala syrup, a syrup modeled after the taste of salak, a palm fruit native to Southeast Asia. The staff at Charm prepared it as a layered drink, so there was a gradient from the whiteness of the milk, to an increasingly vibrant pink, and then bright red

at the bottom where some of the syrup sits. It’s so pretty – it reminds me of Valentine’s Day. You almost hate to stir it and break the gradient. After tasting it, the closest thing to compare it to in American cuisine would probably be strawberry milk. It’s not quite like strawberries, though, being more aromatic and intensely sweet. In my perception, it had a cooling, almost minty finish, which makes it a great counterpoint to a spicy Thai main.

Which brings us to our entrees. Two in our party chose curries. One ordered a Panang Curry, a classic red curry variety with a bright taste thanks to kaffir lime, with all the meats (chicken, beef, and pork). And since they were able to vegetarianize their curries for me (yay!)

I opted for a Massaman Curry, a classic yellow curry which draws from sweet, fragrant spices like cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon, making it a little like a Thai version of an Indian korma, with tofu. Both were, of course, served

Story and photos by Imogene Gross, imogene@harrisburgmagazine.com

with rice. We found them to be well-balanced, flavorful, and overall some of the better Thai curries we’ve had. Another member of our party went for a more unique menu item, the Thai Smoked Chili: stir fried cashews, carrots, onion, and bell pepper in a Thai smoked chili sauce. The diner who ordered it remarked that he wasn’t sure about the pineapple, but that it worked really well in this dish.

Charm, say its owners, who bring years of experience in other Thai restaurants to the table, is a Thai word for “bowl,” but they also embrace its English meaning as a “power of delight and attraction.” Other delightful options at Charm include their soups, other Thai restaurant staples such as Pad Thai and drunken noodles, papaya salad, mango sticky rice, and a selection of unique specials. You can try them out Monday through Saturday, 11am to 8pm. And be sure to check out their menu at www.charmthaipa.com

Clownin’ Around With The Barrelmen

This month I sat down with three of my dear friends and favorite local clowns, Chris Gibson, Nicholas Werner, and Brad Barkdoll. The performance troupe plays as either French clowns in Les Tonneliers or as rodeo clowns as The Barrelmen. The sheer talent among this creative group of accomplished artists is undeniable. Each one has a robust background in the theatrical arts and shares deep roots in Harrisburg’s local theater scene. The group met working on productions at the same theater - the rest was history. While the group shares a myriad of talents in performing, improvisation, composing, and directing, The Barrelmen originated from one uniquely specific talent of their leader Chris Gibson. Gibson has over 20 years of musical clown experience, even internationally touring Europe with his original clown character. Their shared theatrical background and playful chemistry create the perfect recipe for this hilarious band.

Both Les Tonneliers and The Barrelmen

showcase the true thriving creative spirit that comes from the exceptional minds of the Harrisburg arts community. While the band performs music, they are first and foremost a performing troupe. This means in their live shows all the moments between songs are just as important as the music. Each performer fully commits to the comedy that comes along with embodying their specific clown. Every show is utterly packed with jokes, banter, skits, improv, and especially laughter. With their extensive background in musical composing and arranging, they uniquely reimagine their favorite songs and are always open to any suggestion. This clown troupe performs songs by artists of all genres such as Steely Dan, Daniel Johnston, Beastie Boys, Duran Duran, Talking Heads, and even Beyonce. Having a low-stakes attitude, the troupe embodies a performance driven by play. They perform on unconventional instruments like a glockenspiel bell set and the tall drummer ironically plays a child’s drum kit. Once they

add head-to-toe French or rodeo clown getups, you can’t help sitting back and enjoying this masterful, hilarious creation.

Choosing which clown band to perform as fully depends on how they feel that specific day in true improvisation fashion. In the same vein, what songs and bits they perform depend on who is in their audience; they don’t shy away from live requests either. This also means no two shows are ever the same. Gibson says that their group focuses on “friendship through music.” While they perform locally at different venues, their favorite show was at a close friend’s home. The living room was filled with laughter, singing, and their closest friends decked out in clown attire. Werner’s best piece of advice for musicians is to not be afraid to fail, and Barkdoll encourages musicians to find like-minded friends that you have fun with. Without a doubt, this group fearlessly loves to entertain and has an absolute ball while doing it.

You can follow The Barrelmen on Instagram @the_barrelmen for show announcements. You can catch them at an upcoming show in Brooklyn, NYC at The Brick, or any number of their future local shows. So, grab a friend, then a drink, and go see this phenomenal group.

Elena Rossetto was born and raised in Mechanicsburg and has been a Harrisburg resident for over four years. She writes and plays live music with her indie rock band, The After Hours. With her vivacious passion for music, she fiercely believes in supporting the local music scene. After the Beat chases and aims to showcase the incredible local talent our community possesses.

The Cercus reserves all reproduction rights, including the right to claim statutory copyright, in the above published work. The work may not be photographed, sketched, painted,or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the express, written consent of The Cercus.

Realistic Impressions: The Art of Rosanne S. Wolfe, “Icons of Harrisburg” Winner

This May, Harrisburg Magazine collected entries for our special “Icons of Harrisburg” Art Show. Searching for two-dimensional visual art pieces that exemplify the beauty of Harrisburg, our team of judges selected 30 top works for exhibition at our un-juried June show at The Smith Gallery & Fine Custom Framing in New Cumberland. The winning piece was to be featured on the cover of our August 2023 “Simply the Best” issue and reproduced on all the “Simply the Best” award plaques available to businesses voted as winners.

Of course, if you’re reading this article, you’ve probably already seen the winning piece on this issue’s cover – a beautiful landscape painting in watercolor and gouache, Harrisburg Capitol by Rosanne S. Wolfe. This lovinglydetailed, realistic piece showcases the beauty of the iconic Harrisburg Capitol balanced by a cheery effusion of white cherry blossoms. The original is currently at auction, with proceeds to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The auction doesn’t close until our 2023 “Simply the Best” Gala on August 31st, so there’s still time to place a bid for a shot at taking home this stunning view of the capitol.

“This one was really a very exciting piece

to do, and quite an honor to be selected,” the artist, Wolfe, enthused. Wolfe has long been inspired by the beauty of the area, and often is inspired by the landscape and architecture while out driving. Born in the Susquehanna Valley, she’s lived around the area all her life. She first began to draw, she recalls, when she was about four or five.

Appreciating the skillful execution of her featured landscape, it might be surprising to find that Wolfe primarily works in still lives. When she first began making art, she was most interested in portraiture, but she had trouble finding models for her portraits. She began working on still lives initially as a temporary measure, but she found eventually that she enjoyed painting them even more than portraits. “It surrounds me,” she says, of the essence of still life. Part of her artistic process is tapping into the beauty in the everyday objects that are all around her. She is often inspired by objects that come from nature, or that hold a personal significance to her. “My mind is always working,” she confirms, to the point that it can be hard to disconnect from thinking about her art. Sometimes she’s even struck with inspiration late at night, or early in the morning, as a new approach or change for

a piece she’s working on pops into her head.

Wolfe is known for her watercolors, which are so detailed and layered that they frequently get mistaken for oil paintings. “I’ve heard that comment a few times,” she says, referring to peoples’ confusion over the medium, “because I really try to get a realistic impression.” Rather than a loose, translucent effect that results from thinner washes of watercolor, Wolfe’s colors are often deep and bright. She describes her process as “like drawing with paint.” When asked why she prefers watercolor, she praised the medium for being particularly “accessible.” It’s cheaper and, in some ways, easier to work with and clean up. But beyond that, she remarks, “I’ve stuck with the medium because, over the years, I’ve learned how to work in it to suit my vision for my art.”

Although nature-focused watercolor and still lives may be her signature traditions, she is far from limited to them. Over the years, she’s taken various commissions for portraits – work that she describes as “fun” – of both humans and pets. If you look at her portfolio on her website, don’t be surprised if you spot a furry critter or two among the rest of her work!

And in the realm of her still lives, she

Story by Imogene Gross, imogene@harrisburgmagazine.com

Photos by Will Masters

sometimes finds inspiration in an unexpected theme: beer! Specifically, she has been painting beer caps, and sometimes bottles, for about a decade. “I just thought they were interesting, and I like the texture and the crimping, and some of the graphics,” she explains. This series of her work has led her to operate booths exhibiting and selling her pieces at local beer fests, including PA Flavor at the Farm Show Complex and BrewFest at Fort Hunter.

In fact, she frequently exhibits her works. In 2019, she began participating in outdoor art shows. Over Labor Day weekend, she’ll be participating in the Long’s Park Art Festival in Lancaster. And as far as gallery and other indoor venue exhibitions go, she’s been actively exhibiting since 2013, when, she says, she decided to finally “make a go of things” with promoting her art. Originally, she studied graphic design and other areas of commercial art at Millersville College and then the York Academy of Arts, and started a career in graphic design, working at a variety of advertising agencies. When she decided to start a family, she opted to switch to a more flexible freelancing schedule as she raised her daughter. Partly due to the competitive and rapidly advancing nature of the industry, though, she eventually fell out of graphic design and focused solely on her first love, creatively speaking - the fine arts. Since then, she and her work have earned several awards and distinctions, and she’s established herself as an active member of the local arts community. She has earned Signature Status in the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society and is a member of the Portrait Society of America, the Cecelia Beaux Forum, and the Philadelphia Watercolor Society.

Harrisburg Magazine is honored to feature this accomplished, multifaceted artist in this month’s issue and to proudly display her piece as our “Simply the Best” cover. Harrisburg Capitol, which Wolfe created after taking a spring walk around the Capitol Building and photographing it from various vantage points in search of a unique perspective, is a gorgeous example of the artist’s style. As The Smith Gallery’s recent article on this new piece observes, although Rosanne works in a realistic style, she leaves the edges of forms softened impressionistically to create a sense of openness. Her “muses,” she notes in the article, are light and color, which are certainly highlighted in this piece. From the bright blue sky to the vibrant green of the dome, she has captured the transient beauty of the scene in a work that is as pleasing to behold as the Capitol itself. Plus: the piece looks even better in person. There’s still time to view it at our

Harrisburg Magazine offic and place a bid to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society here:

https://givebutter.com/c/7fIGnw/auction/ items/134635

Be sure to check out Rosanne’s personal webpage at https://www.rosannewolfe.com!

Millie

Pasture Statues

Story

mooed.

Cate mooed with her. The cow stared at them. Millie giggled at the old joke, a pure, authentic song. Cate giggled with her, exaggerated, trembling notes. The cow stared at them.

Millie continued to pet the cow’s cheek. Cate stroked the other, looking for signs of impatience in the otherwise stoic animal, searching its blank yet somehow knowing eyes for knowledge of her charade. What made her want to release the scream that had been lodged in her throat for inconceivable minutes was how Millie, sitting comfortably in her numb arms, was so far away from screaming; Millie, who had every justification for adding her shrill voice to the one behind them.

She hadn’t asked Millie if she was all right; doing so would have given her the impression something was wrong. She hadn’t asked Millie her actual name; as far as the little girl’s amiable behavior indicated, they had known each other all their lives, and names didn’t matter. She hadn’t asked Millie her age; from the moment she took the little girl into her arms, she could tell the small human being was no older than her career.

Three-years-old, Cate mused again, as she transferred Millie from one desensitized arm to the other, careful not to break contact with the cow. Three years, and once again she imagined the retirement banner, growing longer and larger as the idea cooked in her mind, advertising the pitiful number.

Cate was grateful for the brown-and-white animal’s presence. Moreover, she was grateful that the cow was the first thing Millie had noticed. She wouldn’t have thought to mosey on over to the cow; instinct—training—would have told her to immediately transport the disheveled little girl to her car; and there they would have waited for the next routine steps. And then she would’ve known something was wrong, she thought. And then she would’ve started screaming.

A scream perforated the ambience, a cocktail of pain, fear... and perhaps a note of anger. “Mooooo!” Cate issued her loudest impersonation yet. Millie echoed her sentiments,prolonging and exaggerating the bovine language until it devolved into more giggling.

Another scream smothered the laughter, and, for a terrible moment, Cate thought she felt Millie stiffen; thought she saw registration on the little girl’s suddenly sagging face.

“Moo mooooo moo moo moo mooooo moo,” Cate interjected, the single word spoken in the rhythm of conversation. She fixed upon Millie’s eyes, hoping the little girl would take the bait, ready to shift her little body should she decide to go peeking behind her back, toward the scream.

by Alfredo Salvatore Arcilesi; Illustration by Georgia DuCharme

Millie’s bowed lips glistened, saliva pooling as she gathered her thoughts about the conflicting sounds. Cate readied her own lips with another string of nonsensical cow-speak, when Millie broke out of her trance and fired off a meaningless statement of her own: “Mooooo mooooo mooooo”—laughter— “mooooo moo moo moo.”

Relieved, Cate kept the dialogue flowing for as long and as loud as was necessary to beat the intermittent screaming from Millie’s ears. As their banter rose and fell with the outbursts behind them, she imagined how the others must have seen them: vulnerable backs; a revolving red light highlighting Millie’s arms wrapped comfortably—Or is she in shock? Cate couldn’t decide—around her neck; mooing from unseen lips; the cow itself unseen, blocked by their combined bodies. How unreal it must have appeared to them.

How grotesquely real it was to her.

How beautifully real it was to Millie.

A terrible thought returned Cate to their cozy huddle: This is your first time, isn’t it? The scream she struggled to keep deep down in her gorge threatened to erupt. It occurred to her that this cow—not the pair grazing further down the fence, dangerously close to the break; not the calf flanked by several adults; not the others standing nonchalantly, laying nonchalantly, living nonchalantly; not the countless others that might have been a blur in Millie’s passenger window—but this cow might very well have been the very first cow Millie had ever seen.

Cate mooed, and wondered if Millie could detect the underlying melancholy. You don’t need to meet a cow, she desperately wanted to assure the little girl. Not now. Not like this. She was certain that when Millie was one day no longer a size fit for one’s arms—There’s no guarantee of that, Cate sadly reminded herself—she might learn to hate the cow. All cows. The way Cate hated them for what they had done to Millie. To her.

To Millie’s mother.

The human sounds behind them were less frequent now, quieter, the pain, the fear, the anger—if ever there was—giving themselves to realization. Cate hoped Millie’s mother would soon forget how to scream; hoped her mother forgot her daughter’s name. This line of thinking was drenched in selfishness, but Cate had accepted it... for now; may guilt torment her later. It was just that she and, more importantly, the cow, had worked so damned hard to keep Millie occupied.

Or are we keeping the cow occupied? Cate thought for the first time.

She looked into the animal’s eyes, glossy black islands surrounded by thin halos of bloodshot white. Pulses of red light, rotating like an angry lighthouse—an eye of its own—searched those eyes, much as Cate was doing now, for knowledge.

Do you see the red light? she mentally transmitted to the cow. Do you understand it? Did you see what happened before the red light? Do you understand what happened?

The cow stared.

Do you understand that this little girl I’m holding, the one mooing at you, the one petting your face... do you understand that her mother is the one who killed your calf?

Based on its indifference, she couldn’t tell if the calf was blood-related to the cow. Would he or she—Cate couldn’t tell which—bite Millie if it understood the situation behind them? Would he or she reconsider biting if it understood the whole thing had merely been a matter of a broken fence? Would he or she refrain from seeking revenge upon Millie if it understood that the calf had wandered through the broken fence, onto the asphalt, and before Millie’s mother’s car? Would he or she rethink their potential bite if it understood that Millie’s mother had, from the looks of the finale, done her best to avoid the calf, but instead clipped its behind, sending her speeding vehicle into the ditch? Would he or she accept that the calf had been mercifully put down, quickly and painlessly, unlike Millie’s mother, who found herself wrapped deep within her metal womb, gasoline-for-placenta everywhere, unable to be reached or moved, lest she perish sooner?

The cow stared.

Cate focused on Millie’s silhouette within the animal’s sheeny eye: Do you understand?

A voice answered the question. Cate couldn’t make out the words, only the harshness of the voice. She sensed an approaching presence, and immediately understood what was happening. In a voice tailored for Millie’s benefit, Cate said, “Please, don’t come any closer,” and resumed mooing along with Millie.

“Officer?” The voice didn’t sound so harsh. Perhaps it hadn’t been at all. Perhaps, Cate decided, she was prejudiced against voices outside of her and Millie’s precious bubble.

Cate sensed the intruder take another step forward. “I said don’t,” Cate said in her rosiest voice.

“Officer, I need to examine the little girl,” the soft voice said.

The well-meaning plea incensed Cate. She’s fine. I checked her when I pulled her out of the car. Some scratches, a few bruises, but she’s fine. I checked her. And I named her. She knew someone close to Millie must have known her real name, but for tonight, in her arms, the little girl would take the name of the first girl Cate had lost on the job.

Footsteps crunched behind them.

“Don’t,” Cate emphasized, momentarily breaking her character of utter serenity. Before the intruder could interject, she added: “I... just give us a few minutes, okay?”

And then what? she thought.

Once again, she caught Millie’s silhouette in the cow’s eye. Do you have a father? Grandmother? Grandfather? Uncles? Aunts? Anybody? Do you know your name?

What would become of Millie when Cate decided enough “few minutes” had elapsed?

What would become of the little girl when the cow was gone?

The intruder’s footsteps—a paramedic just trying to do her job—retreated, but Cate sensed she hadn’t gone far; Millie did need to be examined.

She realized the screaming had died. It made sense to her, not because the outcome was inevitable, but because the paramedic now had time to check on the only survivor.

But they still had a few minutes.

And so, Millie mooed.

Cate mooed with her. The cow stared at them.

Artisan baker by trade, Alfredo Salvatore Arcilesi has been published in over 80 literary journals worldwide. Winner of the Scribes Valley Short Story Writing Contest, he was a Pushcart Prize nominee, and twice nominated for Sundress Publications’ Best of the Net. In addition to several short pieces, he is currently working on his debut novel.

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

The results are in! The readers have spoken. It’s now time to reveal the winners of Harrisburg Magazine’s “Simply the Best” Readers’ Poll. Once again, our readers have identified who they believe are the best of local businesses that the Harrisburg region has to offer.

We present to you Harrisburg Magazine’s “Simply the Best” of the Harrisburg region for 2023. . .as selected by you, the readers. Check out the new local favorites to see why they are “Simply the Best.” And of course, revisit those who continue to make the list every year.

Congratulations to all of the winners, and thank you to all of our readers who voted.

Simply the Best 2023 Winners

AUTOMOTIVE

Auto Body Shop

Simply the Best Dellinger’s Auto Body Inc 2410 S Market St, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Readers’ Choice

Ginter’s Full Service Auto Repair, Auto Body And Auto Sales

1101 Slate Hill Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Auto Dealer (New Domestic)

Readers’ Choice

Hoffman Ford 5200 Jonestown Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Readers’ Choice

L. B. Smith Ford

1100 Market St, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Simply the Best Lawrence Chevrolet 6445 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Auto Dealer (New Import)

Simply the Best Bobby Rahal Honda 6696 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice Bobby Rahal Toyota

6711 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Auto Dealer (Preowned/Used)

Simply the Best

Bobby Rahal Honda

6696 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice

Bobby Rahal Toyota 6711 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice

L. B. Smith Ford

1100 Market St, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Auto Detailer

Readers’ Choice

CR/Automotive Detailing 5967 Linglestown Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Simply the Best Elite Window Tint & Detailing 1790 0rrs Bridge Rd, Enola, PA 17025

Auto Express Services

Readers’ Choice

Jack Williams Tire & Auto Service Centers 3809 E Trindle Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Simply the Best

L. B. Smith Ford Service

1100 Market St, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Auto Repair Shop

Simply the Best Kindermans Auto Repair 2530 Walnut St, Harrisburg, PA 17103

Readers’ Choice Crowne Automotive 50 N Water St, Hummelstown, PA 17036

Auto Salesperson

Simply the Best Austin Smith @ Lawrence Chevrolet

Simply the Best Mary Abruzzese @ Lehman Volvo

Readers’ Choice

Stu Bingham @ L.B. Smith Ford

Readers’ Choice

Kent Bushley @ L.B. Smith Ford

Auto Service by a Dealer

Simply the Best Bobby Rahal Honda Service Center 6696 Carlisle Pike Suite 101, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice

L. B. Smith Ford Service 1100 Market St, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Auto Tires and/or Services

Readers’ Choice

Farr Tire & Auto Center

3537 Hartzdale Dr, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice Jack Williams Tire & Auto Service Centers

Simply the Best Tire Mart

4914 Jonestown Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17109

Body/Repair by Auto Dealer

Simply the Best Bobby Rahal Honda

6696 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice

Bobby Rahal Toyota 6711 Carlisle Pike,

Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice

L. B. Smith Ford Collision

1100 Market St, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Detailing by Auto Dealer

Simply the Best Bobby Rahal Honda

6696 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice

Bobby Rahal Toyota 6711 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice

L. B. Smith Ford

1100 Market St, Lemoyne, PA 17043

BEAUTY & FITNESS

Aesthetic Physician Office

Readers’ Choice

Amplify Aesthetics

3920 Market Street Ste 205, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Simply the Best Waters Edge Comprehensive Cosmetic Surgery

1857 Center St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Barber Shop

Readers’ Choice

Camp Hill Barber

3401 Hartzdale Dr #110, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice

Coop’s Barber Shop

2161 Market St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Simply the Best

Semoff’s Barber Shop 205 3rd St, New Cumberland, PA 17070

Beauty/Hair Salon - East

Simply the Best Color Bar Beauty Salon

519 N Mountain Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Simply the Best Frost Salon and Spa 6280 Jonestown Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Beauty/Hair Salon - West

Simply the Best Jenny’s Salon 4500 Gettysburg Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Readers’ Choice Polished Salon, Spa, & Wellness 1200 Market St #220, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Dance Studio

Simply the Best Studio 91

712 Grantham Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Simply the Best The Studio

427 N Enola Rd, Enola, PA 17025

Day Spa

Readers’ Choice

Polished Salon, Spa, & Wellness

1200 Market St #220, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Simply the Best

The Spa At The Hotel Hershey

100 Hotel Rd, Hershey, PA 17033

Dermatologist Office

Simply the Best Crumay Parnes Associates, Inc.

104 Erford Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice

Saye And Gette Dermatology Associates

2201 Forest Hills Dr, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Facials

Simply the Best Changes Salon & Day Spa

5121 E Trindle Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice

Youveau Aesthetics

2417 N Front St, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Fitness Center/Gym - East

Readers’ Choice

Precision Training Concepts

4085 Linglestown Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Simply the Best Progress Fitness

2201 Paxton Church Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Fitness Center/Gym - West

Readers’ Choice Thrive Fit Co

1801 Market St Suite 105, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Simply the Best West Shore Branch YMCA 410 Fallowfield Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Hair Stylist/Barber

Readers’ Choice

Audrey Vazquez @ Polished, Salon, Spa & Wellness

Simply the Best Britani Vance @ Legion Hair Studio

Readers’ Choice

Elayna Mcilhenny @ Frost Salon and Spa

Laser/Skin Care

Readers’ Choice

Dr. Laurel Bailey Laser & Aesthetics 6375 Mercury Dr, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Simply the Best Farrell Plastic Surgery & Laser Center, P.C.

2025 Technology Pkwy #204, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Massage - East

Simply the Best Brownstone Station Wellness Center 320 E 2nd St, Hummelstown, PA 17036

Readers’ Choice

The Spa At The Hotel Hershey 100 Hotel Rd, Hershey, PA 17033

Massage - West

Readers’ Choice

Elements Massage - Camp Hill

88 S 32nd St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Simply the Best

Massage by Leanne

125 N Enola Dr, Suite 101, Enola, PA 17025

Simply the Best

Polished Salon, Spa, & Wellness 1200 Market St #220, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Place That Helps You Lose Weight

Readers’ Choice

Happie Soul Wellness

5000 Lenker St Suite 103, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice

Jatto Internal Medicine & Wellness

2205 Forest Hills Dr #12, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Simply the Best

OVYVO Medical Weight Loss

2200 Dover Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Plastic Surgeon

Readers’ Choice

Leo Farrell @ Farrell Plastic Surgery & Laser Center, P.C.

2025 Technology Pkwy Ste 204, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Simply the Best

Robert E. Wolf @ Waters Edge

Comprehensive Cosmetic Surgery

1857 Center St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Plastic Surgery Clinic

Readers’ Choice

Farrell Plastic Surgery & Laser Center, P.C. 2025 Technology Pkwy #204, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Simply the Best

Waters Edge Comprehensive Cosmetic Surgery

1857 Center St,Camp Hill, PA 17011

BUSINESS

Dry Cleaners

Simply the Best Classic Drycleaners and LaundromatsMechanicsburg 3625, 5028 Simpson Ferry Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice

George’s Cleaners

39 Gettysburg Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Insurance Agency

Readers’ Choice

Gunn-Mowery, LLC

650 N Twelfth St, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Readers’ Choice

Members 1st Insurance Services

5000 Marketplace Way, Enola, PA 17025

Simply the Best Strock Insurance

401 S 32nd St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Place to Work (101+ Employees)

Readers’ Choice

Berks Homes

3335 Morgantown Rd, Mohnton, PA 19540

Simply the Best

Members 1st Federal Credit Union

5000 Marketplace Way, Enola, PA 17025

Place to Work (11-50 Employees)

Readers’ Choice

Gunn-Mowery, LLC

650 N Twelfth St, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Simply the Best Musser Home Builders

395 Gettysburg St, Dillsburg, PA 17019

Place to Work (51 to 100 Employees)

Readers’ Choice

Joy Daniels Real Estate Group

3800 Market St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Simply the Best

Wood & Myers Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons

207 S 32nd St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Place To Work (Under 10 Employees)

Simply the Best

Benny’s PET DEPOT

5202 Simpson Ferry Rd #101, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice

Enck’s Trophies, Screen Printing & Embroidery

524 S Enola Rd, East Pennsboro Township, PA 17025

Simply the Best

Taylored for You Bridal Boutique

516 E Main St, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Promotional Services (Merchandise, Signs, Marketing, Etc.)

Simply the Best Artistic Imprints

823 St Johns Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice

Hot Frog Print & Media Inc

118 W Allen St, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Real Estate Agency

Simply the Best Dream Home Realty

1007 Market St, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Readers’ Choice

Joy Daniels Real Estate Group 3800 Market St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Real Estate Agent

Simply the Best

Kyle Nornhold @ Keller Williams of Central PA

2040 Good Hope Rd, Enola, PA 17025

Readers’ Choice

Natalie Crawford @ Dream Home Realty

1007 Market St, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Real Estate Services (Inspections, Appraisals, Management, Etc.)

Readers’ Choice

Alpha Home Inspection, LLC

47 Cook Rd, Duncannon, PA 17020

Simply the Best Hershey Abstract Settlement Services, Inc.

515 W Chocolate Ave, Hershey, PA 17033

Real Estate Team

Simply the Best

Jennifer Hollister Real Estate Group 3800 Market St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice

Twila Glenn Group @ Joy Daniels Real Estate Group 2793 Old Post Rd #200, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Specialty Service (W/O A Category)

Simply the Best

Tiger Rock Martial Arts of Camp Hill

3300 Hartzdale Dr #111, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice

Twisted Mad Hatter

104 W King St, East Berlin, PA 17316

Staffing Agency/Services

Readers’ Choice

Abel Personnel

3356 Paxton St, Harrisburg, PA 17111

Simply the Best

JFC Staffing Companies - Camp Hill

1520 Market St #4815, Camp Hill, PA 17011

DENTAL

Cosmetic Dentist

Simply the Best

Glossner & McElwee Camp Hill Dental Care

19 S 22nd St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice

Wood & Myers Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons

207 S 32nd St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Dental Assistant

Simply the Best

Jamie Jordan @ Glossner & McElwee

19 S 22nd St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice

Lindsey Johnson Wood & Myers

207 S 32nd St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice

Sarah Tenny @ Search Dental 17 Waterford Dr, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Dental Hygienist

Readers’ Choice

Keri Bartol @ Glossner and McElwee

19 S 22nd St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Simply the Best

Shauna DeLong @ Fox Dental 819 Market St, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Dentist

Readers’ Choice

Jennifer Shannon @ Smiles by Shannon Dental

4400 Deer Path Rd Suite 101, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Readers’ Choice

Joseph Search @ Search Dental 3920 Market St, Ste 100, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Simply the Best

Tad Glossner @ Glossner & McElwee

19 S 22nd St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

General Dentist - East Shore

Readers’ Choice

Klein Family Dentistry

253 N Hershey Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Simply the Best Smiles by Shannon Dental

4400 Deer Path Rd Suite 101, Harrisburg, PA 17110

General Dentist - West Shore

Simply the Best Glossner and McElwee Comprehensive Dental Care Of Camp Hill

19 S 22nd St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice

Verber Family Dentistry

3920 Market St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Oral & Maxillofacial Clinic

Readers’ Choice

Alfano Oral Surgery

2250 Millennium Way Suite 101, Enola, PA 17025

Simply the Best

Wood & Myers Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons

207 S 32nd St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Orthodontist Clinic

Readers’ Choice

Hilton-Diminick Orthodontic Associates

3925 Linglestown Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Simply the Best Minium, Kearns & Lamb Orthodontists

1412 Bridge St, New Cumberland, PA 17070

Specialty Dentist

Readers’ Choice

Advanced Pediatric Dentistry 220 Cumberland Pkwy Suite 6, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Simply the Best Kearns & Ashby Pediatric Dentistry 4836 E Trindle Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

DINING EAST SHORE

Affordable Place to Eat (East)

Simply the Best Glass Lounge Restaurant 4745 N Front St, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Readers’ Choice

Ted’s Bar & Grill 22 7300 Allentown Blvd, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Breakfast (East)

Readers’ Choice

Capitol Diner 800 Eisenhower Blvd, Harrisburg, PA 17111

Simply the Best The Hershey Pantry 801 E Chocolate Ave, Hershey, PA 17033

Burger (East)

Readers’ Choice

Burger Yum 400 N 2nd St, Harrisburg, PA 17101

Readers’ Choice Glass Lounge Restaurant 4745 N Front St, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Simply the Best Red Rabbit Drive-In 60 Benvenue Rd, Duncannon, PA 17020

Desserts (East)

Simply the Best Desserts Etc. 840 E Chocolate Ave, Hershey, PA 17033

Readers’ Choice

Sweet Cordelia’s Cake & Bake Shoppe 6130 Jonestown Rd Suite C, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Local Brewery (East)

Readers’ Choice

Rubber Soul Brewing Company 136 S Hanover St, Hummelstown, PA 17036

Simply the Best Tröegs Independent Brewing 200 Hersheypark Dr, Hershey, PA 17033

Overall Bar (East)

Simply the Best Glass Lounge Restaurant 4745 N Front St, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Readers’ Choice

Ted’s Bar & Grill 22 7300 Allentown Blvd, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Readers’ Choice

The Sturges Speakeasy

400 Forster St, Harrisburg, PA 17102

Overall Dining (Downtown)

Readers’ Choice

Cafe Fresco Center City

215 N 2nd St, Harrisburg, PA 17101

Simply the Best Millworks

340 Verbeke St, Harrisburg, PA 17102

Overall Dining (East Shore / Suburban)

Simply the Best

Gabriella Italian Restaurant 3907 Jonestown Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17109

Readers’ Choice

Harvest Seasonal Grill - Harrisburg

2625 Brindle Dr, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Pizza Place (East)

Readers’ Choice

Italian Pizza & Subs

6220 Derry St A, Harrisburg, PA 17111

Readers’ Choice

JoJo’s on 22 Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant

7800A Allentown Blvd, West Hanover Township, PA 17112

Simply the Best

Jojo’s Pizza Hummelstown PA 1 E Main St, Hummelstown, PA 17036

Place For a Night Out (East)

Simply the Best

Englewood Brewing

1219 Research Blvd Suite B, Hummelstown, PA 17036

Readers’ Choice

Gilligans Bar & Grill 987 Eisenhower Blvd, Harrisburg, PA 17111

Restaurant Service (East)

Readers’ Choice

Gabriella Italian Restaurant 3907 Jonestown Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17109

Simply the Best Glass Lounge Restaurant 4745 N Front St, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Steakhouse (East)

Readers’ Choice Devon Seafood & Steak 27 W Chocolate Ave, Hershey, PA 17033

Simply the Best Glass Lounge Restaurant 4745 N Front St, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Sunday Brunch (East)

Readers’ Choice

Greystone Public House

2120 Colonial Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Simply the Best

The Hershey Pantry

801 E Chocolate Ave, Hershey, PA 17033

Readers’ Choice

The Hotel Hershey 100 Hotel Rd, Hershey, PA 17033

Takeout (East)

Simply the Best Hong Kong Ruby 2308 Patton Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Readers’ Choice

Simply Greek 23 Briarcrest Square, Hershey, PA 17033

Wings (East)

Readers’ Choice

Ted’s Bar & Grill 22

7300 Allentown Blvd, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Simply the Best

Underdog Sports Bar and Grill 3100 Paxton St, Harrisburg, PA 17111

DINING WEST SHORE

Affordable Place to Eat (West)

Simply the Best

Jigsy’s Brewpub & Restaurant

225 N Enola Rd, Enola, PA 17025

Readers’ Choice

Midst8 Taco

900 Market St #1, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Breakfast (West)

Readers’ Choice

Chef de Crêpe 2017 Market St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice

Metro Diner

5600 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Simply the Best Valley Bistro

520 Valley Rd, Enola, PA 17025

Burger (West)

Simply the Best

Dad’s Garage Grill & Burger House

245 E Main St, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Readers’ Choice

Shermans Creek Inn

5150 Spring Rd, Shermans Dale, PA 17090

Make It A Reality!

Desserts (West)

Readers’ Choice

Dalicia Ristorante and Bakery 105 S Market St, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Readers’ Choice

Reesers’ Soft Ice Cream 880 Old Rossville Rd #9734, Lewisberry, PA 17339

Simply the Best The Pennsylvania Bakery 1713 Market St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Brewery (West)

Simply the Best Local Ever Grain Brewing Co. 4444 Carlisle Pike, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice Local Wolf Brewing Co. 100 Legacy Park Drive Suite 400, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Overall Bar (West)

Simply the Best Flinchy’s Restaurant, Bar and Deck 1833 Hummel Ave, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice Wolf Brewing Co. 100 Legacy Park Drive Suite 400, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Overall Dining (West Shore)

Readers’ Choice

Gilligan’s Bar And Grill 5002 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice

The Watershed Pub 2129 Market St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Simply the Best THEA 1303 Saxton Wy, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Pizza Place (West)

Readers’ Choice

JoJo’s Pizza & Pasta Main Street 107 W Main St, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Simply the Best The Pizza Grille - Camp Hill

3817 Gettysburg Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Place For a Night Out (West)

Readers’ Choice Flinchy’s Restaurant, Bar and Deck 1833 Hummel Ave, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Simply the Best)

THEA 1303 Saxton Way, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Restaurant Service (West)

Simply the Best Center Street Grille 4 Center St, Enola, PA 17025

Readers’ Choice ) THEA 1303 Saxton Way, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Restaurant Service (West)

Simply the Best Black n Bleu Restaurant

6108 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice

Tavern on the Hill 109 Howard St, Enola, PA 17025

Readers’ Choice

Texas Roadhouse

1101 Lower Allen Dr, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Sunday Brunch (West)

Readers’ Choice

The Watershed Pub

2129 Market St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Simply the Best Valley Bistro

4520 Valley Rd, Enola, PA 17025

Takeout (West)

Simply the Best

Café Magnolia

4700 Gettysburg Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Readers’ Choice

Mid St8 Taco

900 Market St #1, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Wings (West)

Readers’ Choice

Arooga’s - Mechanicsburg

4713 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Simply the Best

Jigsy’s Brewpub & Restaurant

225 N Enola Rd, Enola, PA 17025

Readers’ Choice

Shermans Creek Inn

5150 Spring Rd, Shermans Dale, PA 17090

FINANCIAL Accounting Firm

Simply the Best Boyer & Ritter LLC

211 House Ave #101, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice

Conte Wealth Advisors, LLC

2009 Market St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice

Gift CPAs

1205 Manor Drive # 100, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Bank

Readers’ Choice

Mid Penn Bank

4509 Derry St, Harrisburg, PA 17111

Simply the Best

Orrstown Bank

4750 Lindle Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17111

Credit Union

Simply the Best

Member’s 1st Federal Credit Union

5000 Marketplace Way, Enola, PA 17025

Readers’ Choice

PSECU

1500 Elmerton Ave, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Financial Planning Company (1 Location)

Readers’ Choice

1st Choice Financial Services, Inc.

1517 Cedar Cliff Dr #201, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Simply the Best Langan Financial Group

1863 Center St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Financial Planning Company (2+ Locations)

Readers’ Choice

Conte Wealth Advisors, LLC

2009 Market St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice

KCA Wealth Management, Financial & Retirement Advisors

3806 Market St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Simply the Best Members 1st Federal Credit Union 5000 Marketplace Way, Enola, PA 17025

Investment Company (1 Location)

Readers’ Choice

Grove Wealth Management, LLC 350 S Sporting Hill Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Simply the Best Langan Financial Group

1863 Center St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Investment Company (2+ Locations)

Readers’ Choice

Conte Wealth Advisors, LLC 2009 Market St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Simply the Best Members 1st Federal Credit Union 5000 Marketplace Way, Enola, PA 17025

Mortgage Company

Readers’ Choice Kane Mortgage, Inc.

4755 Linglestown Rd #205, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Simply the Best Members 1st Home Equity

5000 Marketplace Way, Enola, PA 17025

Stockbroker (Name & Business)

Simply the Best Jacinda Webber @ Members 1st Investment Services

Simply the Best Jeff Howe @ Members 1st

Readers’ Choice

Rocco Cangialosi @ Edward Jones

Tax Preparation

Readers’ Choice

Brian L. Wade, MBA Small Business Accounting LLC

3438 E Trindle Rd Suite 207, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Simply the Best Gift CPAs

1205 Manor Drive # 100, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Readers’ Choice

KPMG, LLP

30 N 3rd St, Harrisburg, PA 17101

FOOD & DRINK

Asian

Simply the Best Bangkok Wok

125 Gateway Dr, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice

Chalit’s Thai Bistro

5517 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Bakery

Readers’ Choice

Desserts Etc.

840 E Chocolate Ave, Hershey, PA 17033

Simply the Best The Pennsylvania Bakery

1713 Market St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Barbecue

Simply the Best MISSION BBQ - Camp Hill 25 N 32nd St STE 100, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice

Redd’s Smokehouse BBQ Mechanicsburg 4890 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Chef

Readers’ Choice

Doug Krick @ Dodge City Steakhouse

Simply the Best Matt Mager @ Center Street Grille

Coffee

Simply the Best Cornerstone Coffeehouse 2133 Market St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice St. Thomas Roasters 5951 Linglestown Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Readers’ Choice

The Cracked Pot Coffee Shop 130 Gettysburg Pike A, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Deli

Readers’ Choice Pronio’s Market 236 W Caracas Ave, Hershey, PA 17033

Simply the Best Ressler’s Bagel & Deli

5252 Simpson Ferry Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

By the Book/Alex Brubaker

Previewing the Harrisburg Book Festival

Attention, book lovers! This October, the Harrisburg Book Festival is coming to Midtown.

Now in its 11th year, the festival has become an annual celebration in Harrisburg that attracts some of the biggest names in literature and draws readers from across Pennsylvania into the state capital. The Midtown Scholar Bookstore, which was recently named ‘Bookstore of the Year’ from Publishers Weekly, hosts and presents the festival from Wednesday, October 18th - Sunday, October 22nd. All events are free and open to the public.

What can you look forward to this year?

MAIN STAGE EVENTS

As always, the Harrisburg Book Festival brings in some of the top award-winning and bestselling authors working today. This year’s star-studded lineup includes appearances from Pulitzer Prizewinning author Viet Thanh Nguyen, acclaimed art historian Teju Cole, NPR journalist Steve Inskeep, world-renowned translator and classicist Emily Wilson, #1 New York Times bestselling fantasy author Chloe Gong, and additional appearances from Samantha Irby, Jenny Lawson, Kate Baer,

Liza Mundy, Phuc Tran, and Stephanie McCarter.

Each main stage appearance is free and open to the public and will take place at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore. Registration is not required. Following each event, the authors will sign copies of their books, mingle with fans, and take pictures. To enter the signing line, books must be purchased from the Midtown Scholar Bookstore.

OUTDOOR TENT SALE

Perhaps the most popular attraction, the outdoor tent sale will be located in the grass lot across from the bookstore at 3rd and Verbeke, adjacent to the Broad Street Market. Featuring over 20,000+ used books priced at $1, $2, and $3, this year’s tent sale will highlight beloved hidden gems across literary fiction, history, politics, art, children’s, poetry, photojournalism, biography, sports, and more.

The tent sale opens on Wednesday, October 18th at 10am, and runs through Sunday, October 22nd.

FAMILY DAY

For the little scholars, the Harrisburg Book Festival will feature children’s and family day

programming on Saturday, October 21st. Activities and highlights include a literary scavenger hunt for kids (with prizes!), face painting, story times, author signings, live illustrations, and a visit from a friendly costumed character.  Mark your calendars now, and don’t miss all the fun!

MORE INFORMATION

So — you’re in. How can you best prepare for the Harrisburg Book Festival? Stay tuned to the festival website (www.hbgbookfest.com) and the bookstore’s social media accounts (@ midtownscholar) for author announcements, schedule updates, and more details. We hope to see you this October!

Alex Brubaker is the manager of the Midtown Scholar Bookstore and director of the Harrisburg Book Festival. Previously, he was the editorial assistant at Rain Taxi Review of Books and the exhibit coordinator for the Twin Cities Book Festival. He is a graduate of Millersville University and now lives in Harrisburg.

Diner

Readers’ Choice

Capitol Diner

800 Eisenhower Blvd, Harrisburg, PA 17111

Simply the Best Metro Diner

5600 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Simply the Best

Soda Jerk Diner & Dairy Bar

403 E Main St, Hummelstown, PA 17036

European Readers’ Choice

Gabriella Italian Restaurant 3907 Jonestown Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17109

Simply the Best

Hellenic Kouzina

500 E Main St, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Food Trucks

Simply the Best

717 Tacos

323 Reily St, Harrisburg, PA 17102

Readers’ Choice

Grappling Crab Shack

1781 Main Street, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Readers’ Choice

Mad Dash Concessions

Harrisburg, Pa 17111

Ice Cream

Simply the Best

Kristy’s Whistle Stop

600 S Enola Rd, Enola, PA 17025

Readers’ Choice

Reesers’ Soft Ice Cream

880 Old Rossville Rd #9734, Lewisberry, PA 17339

Latin American

Simply the Best El Sol Cantina

3721 Market St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice

El Sol Mexican Restaurant

18 S 3rd St, Harrisburg, PA 17101

Local Distillery

Simply the Best Hidden Still Spirits

505 Rear W Chocolate Ave, Hershey, PA 17033

Readers’ Choice Hook & Flask Still Works

Local Pub

Readers’ Choice Grotto Pub

104 Market St, East Pennsboro Township, PA 17025

Simply the Best Market Cross Pub

113 N Hanover St, Carlisle, PA 17013

Readers’ Choice

The Sturges Speakeasy

400 Forster St, Harrisburg, PA 17102

Place For a Craft Beer

Readers’ Choice

Als of Hampden/Pizza Boy Brewing Co

2240 Millennium Way, Enola, PA 17025

Simply the Best Ever Grain Brewing Co. 4444 Carlisle Pike, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Sports Bar

Readers’ Choice Arooga’s4713 Carlisle Pike Mechanicsburg PA 17050

Simply the Best Brewhouse Grille

2050 State Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Sweets & Treats (Candy, Chocolates, etc.)

Simply the Best Macris Chocolates

1200 Market St #202, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Readers’ Choice Matangos Candies Inc

1501 Catherine St, Harrisburg, PA 17104

Vegetarian/Vegan

Simply the Best

Harvest Seasonal Grill - Harrisburg

2625 Brindle Dr, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Readers’ Choice

The Vegetable Hunter - HarrisburgVegan Cafe and Boutique Brewery

614 N 2nd St, Harrisburg, PA 17101

Vineyard/Winery

Readers’ Choice

Cassel Vineyards of Hershey 80 Shetland Dr, Hummelstown, PA 17036

Readers’ Choice

SpringGate Arcona

1440 Market House Ln, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Simply the Best SpringGate Vineyard

5790 Devonshire Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17112

HARRISBURG AREA LIFE

Animal Rescue or Charity

Readers’ Choice

Castaway Critters, The James A. Hueholt Memorial Foundation for Animals

Simply the Best

Speranza Animal Rescue

1216 Brandt Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Child/Day Care Center

Readers’ Choice

Ava’s Garden

2963A N 7th St, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Readers’ Choice

Best Friends Day Care

206 Bridge St, New Cumberland, PA 17070

Simply the Best Tender Years

Child Development Center

203 House Ave, Camp Hill, PA 17011

College/University

Simply the Best

HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College

1 HACC Dr, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Readers’ Choice

Penn State Harrisburg

777 W Harrisburg Pike, Middletown, PA 17057

Community Services

Readers’ Choice

Caitlin’s Smiles

3303 N 6th St, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Simply the Best New Hope Ministries

99 W Church St, Dillsburg, PA 17019

Local Television Personality

Simply the Best

Ali Lanyon @ ABC27

Readers’ Choice

Local Television Personality

Tom Russell @ CBS 21

Nonprofit Organization

Simply the Best

New Hope Ministries

5228 E Trindle Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice

Vickie’s Angel Foundation

511 Bridge St #511, New Cumberland, PA 17070

Pet Adoption Agency

Readers’ Choice

Humane Society of Harrisburg Area, Inc.

7790 Grayson Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17111

Simply the Best Speranza Animal Rescue 1216 Brandt Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Pet Groomer

Readers’ Choice

Happy Hounds Mobile Pet Grooming Carlisle, PA 17015

Simply the Best

Pet Bath and Beyond

905 Kranzel Dr, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice

Teg’s Canine Clippery 400 Bridge St, New Cumberland, PA 17070

Pet Supply Store

Simply the Best

Abrams & Weakley General Store for Animals

3963 N 6th St, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Readers’ Choice

Benny’s PET DEPOT®

5202 Simpson Ferry Rd #101, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Place to Take Your Pet

Readers’ Choice

Greenlin Pet Resorts

1810 Lambs Gap Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Simply the Best Pet Bath and Beyond

905 Kranzel Dr, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Radio Personality

Readers’ Choice

Glenn Hamilton @ The River 97.3

Simply the Best

Jen Shade @ 105.7 The X

Radio Station

Readers’ Choice

104 WINK

Simply the Best

105.7 the X

Senior Living (Retirement, Assisted Living, Long Term, Etc.)

Readers’ Choice

Bethany Village

325 Wesley Dr, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Simply the Best Messiah Lifeways

100 Mt Allen Dr, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

TV Station

Simply the Best

ABC 27

3235 Hoffman St, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Readers’ Choice

CBS 21

3300 N 6th St, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Readers’ Choice WGAL 8

1300 Columbia Ave, Lancaster, PA 17603

Veterinarian/Animal Hospital

Readers’ Choice

Camp Hill Animal Hospital

3804 Market St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Simply the Best

Good Hope Animal Hospital

6108 Carlisle Pike #120, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice Valley Road Animal Hospital

4470 Valley Rd, Enola, PA 17025

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Acupuncturist

Readers’ Choice

Giddings Acupuncture Practice LLC

4814 Jonestown Rd Suite #101, Harrisburg, PA 17109

Simply the Best

Tian Shi Acupuncture

4055 Linglestown Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Alternative Medical Specialist Clinic

Simply the Best

Loving Heart Blissful Soul

5015 E Trindle Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice

Reiki by Rickie ~ ReikiSpace & Learning Place

2793 Old Post Rd #10, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Chiropractic Clinic - East

Readers’ Choice

Hershey Family Chiropractic 24 Northeast Dr Suite A, Hershey, PA 17033

Simply the Best Slutak Chiropractic

1000 Briarsdale Rd suite c, Harrisburg, PA 17109

Readers’ Choice

The Hetrick Center

500 N Union St, Middletown, PA 17057

Chiropractic Clinic - West

Readers’ Choice

Baker Chiropractic Sport and Spine Clinic

156 Cumberland Pkwy Suite 200, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Simply the Best Camp Hill Family Chiropractic 157 S 32nd St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Counseling or Therapy Office

Simply the Best Elevated Mental Health Services

179 Watson St, Steelton, PA 17113

Counseling or Therapy Office

Readers’ Choice

New Passages

3235 N 3rd St, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Readers’ Choice

PinnacleHealth Psychological Associates

General or Family Physician Clinic

Simply the Best Family Practice Center, PC 4830 Londonderry Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17109

Readers’ Choice

West Shore Family Practice, PC 6375 Mercury Dr # 200, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Hospital

Simply the Best Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

500 University Dr, Hershey, PA 17033

Readers’ Choice

UPMC Harrisburg

111 S Front St, Harrisburg, PA 17101

Readers’ Choice

UPMC West Shore

1995 Technology Pkwy, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

In-Home Health Care

Simply the Best Hospice of Central Pennsylvania 1320 Linglestown Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Readers’ Choice Senior Helpers 3806 Market St Suite 3, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Medical Specialist Clinic (W/O A Category)

Simply the Best Arlington Orthopedics - UPMC 820 Sir Thomas Ct, Harrisburg, PA 17109

Readers’ Choice

Penn State Health Medical GroupAndrews Patel Hematology/Oncology

4518 Union Deposit Rd # 201, Harrisburg, PA 17111

Obstetrics & Gynecology Clinic

Simply the Best Partners in Women’s Healthcare 1 Lemoyne Square #201, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Readers’ Choice

Woodward & Associates Obstetrics and Gynecology Specialists

8105 Adams Dr suite b, Hummelstown, PA 17036

Ophthalmologist or Optometrist Clinic

Simply the Best Memorial Eye InstituteLASIK Harrisburg 4100 Linglestown Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Readers’ Choice

Schein Ernst Mishra Eye 10 Capital Dr Suite 300, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Pain Specialist Clinic

Simply the Best Orthopedic Institute of Pennsylvania 3399 Trindle Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice

Susquehanna Valley Pain Management 5124 E Trindle Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice

The Hetrick Center 500 N Union St, Middletown, PA 17057

Pediatric Clinic

Simply the Best JDC Pediatrics

1824 Good Hope Rd #201, Enola, PA 17025

Readers’ Choice

Tan & Garcia Pediatrics

2020 Good Hope Rd, Enola, PA 17025

Readers’ Choice

UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics - Heritage

3720 Market St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Physical Therapist

Readers’ Choice CPRS Physical Therapy 4830 Londonderry Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17109

Simply the Best OIP Physical Therapy 3399 Trindle Rd 2nd Floor, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Podiatry

Readers’ Choice

Cumberland Valley Foot and Ankle Specialists

5148 E Trindle Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice

Foot and Ankle Specialists of Central PA 4 Flowers Dr Ste 2, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Simply the Best Podiatry

Harrisburg Foot and Ankle Center 4033 Linglestown Rd Ste 1, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Psychologist or Psychiatrist Office

Simply the Best Educational Services of PA

2297 Forest Ln, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Readers’ Choice

PinnacleHealth Psychological Associates

205 S Front St 5th floor, Harrisburg, PA 17104

Walk-In Urgent Care

Simply the Best Facility OIP Orthopedic Injury ClinicHarrisburg

3399 E Trindle Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice

Facility Patient First Primary and Urgent Care - Mechanicsburg

107 S Sporting Hill Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

HOME BUILDING

Architect

Simply the Best Allison Ong Shreffler Architecture + Design LLC

4601 Goose Valley Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Readers’ Choice

James Crumm

2400 Walnut St, Harrisburg, PA 17103

Contractor/Remodeler

Readers’ Choice FoxBuilt, Inc.

5755 Union Deposit Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17111

Simply the Best Musser Home Builders

395 Gettysburg St, Dillsburg, PA 17019

Countertops & Cabinetry

Readers’ Choice

Classic Rock Fabrication

931 Dana Dr, Harrisburg, PA 17109

Simply the Best Down East Fabrication

215 Salem Church Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Decks & Porches

Readers’ Choice Dan-Tam Concrete

Simply the Best West Shire Decks LLC 725 N U.S. 15, Dillsburg, PA 17019

Door & Window Company

Readers’ Choice Grand Opening Windows & Doors

31 E Main St, New Kingstown, PA 17072

Simply the Best Renewal by Andersen

4856 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Flooring Sales & Installation

Readers’ Choice Couch Potato Carpet and Flooring 420 Milroy Rd

Hummelstown PA 17036

Simply the Best Touch of Color Flooring

5017 Jonestown Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Gutter Company

Simply the Best Dreamworx Roofing

5256 E Trindle Rd Suite 2, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice

Ryan’s Roofing 1007 E Coover St, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Home Builder / Developer

Readers’ Choice

Berks Homes

145 Limekiln Rd #300, New Cumberland, PA 17070

Simply the Best Musser Home Builders

395 Gettysburg St, Dillsburg, PA 17019

Home Improvement Specialist (Without a Category)

Simply the Best Inspired By U 33 E Simpson St, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Readers’ Choice

R&S Fence Co 210 N 2nd St, Dillsburg, PA 17019

Readers’ Choice

SWEIGARD PRO POWER WASHING 1100 N Mountain Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Interior Design/Window Treatments

Readers’ Choice INTERIORS HOME

3415 Simpson Ferry Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Simply the Best L & L Window Fashions

5450 Derry St Bldg 2, Harrisburg, PA 17111

Remodeling Specialist

Readers’ Choice

Focal Point Remodeling

3301 Hoffman St, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Readers’ Choice

Home-Time Renovation LLC

5821 Linglestown Rd Suite 112, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Simply the Best ReMod Squad

2317 Gettysburg Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Roofing Company

Simply the Best Dreamworx Roofing

5256 E Trindle Rd Suite 2, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice

Ryan’s Roofing 1007 E Coover St, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Siding

Simply the Best Abel & Son Roofing & Siding

1537 Country Squire Rd, Elizabethtown, PA 17022

Simply the Best Dreamworx Roofing

5256 E Trindle Rd Suite 2, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

HOME MAINTENANCE

Cleaning Service

Readers’ Choice

Absolute Home & Commercial Care, LLC 64 Grandview Rd, Hummelstown, PA 17036

Simply the Best Comprehensive Cleaning Solutions,LLC

6130 Jonestown Rd suite g, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Electrician

Readers’ Choice

Handyside Plumbing, HVAC & Electrical

450 Fishing Creek Rd Suite 1, Goldsboro, PA 17319

Simply the Best Zimmerman Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning

110 E Allen St, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Heating & Air Conditioning Company

Readers’ Choice Handyside Plumbing, HVAC & Electrical

450 Fishing Creek Rd Suite 1, Goldsboro, PA 17319

Readers’ Choice Heating & Air Conditioning Company

HB McClure/HB Home Service Team 600 S 17th St, Harrisburg, PA 17104

Simply the Best Zimmerman Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning

110 E Allen St, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Home Accents Company

Readers’ Choice Davids Furniture 53 N York St, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Simply the Best INTERIORS HOME

3415 Simpson Ferry Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Home Repair/Handyman

Simply the Best

Ace Handyman Services Harrisburg 4219 Derry St, Harrisburg, PA 17111

Readers’ Choice

Home-Time Renovation LLC

5821 Linglestown Rd Suite 112, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Kitchen &/or Bath Remodeling Company

Simply the Best Home-Time Renovation LLC

5821 Linglestown Rd Suite 112, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Readers’ Choice Seifert Kitchen + Bath 48 S Baltimore St, Dillsburg, PA 17019

Landscaping &/or Lawn Service

Simply the Best Dauphin Lawn Care Service, LLC

Simply the Best Good’s Tree Care Inc 4401 Chambers Hill Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17111

Readers’ Choice

Pa Landscape Group 920 Limekiln Rd, New Cumberland, PA 17070

Lawn Care Specialist

Readers’ Choice

Good’s Tree Care Inc 4401 Chambers Hill Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17111

Simply the Best Gran-U-Lawn 183 Old York Rd, New Cumberland, PA 17070

Simply the Best Grassworks Inc

220 N Union St, Hummelstown, PA 17036

Painters

Simply the Best Aesthetic Painting

26 Jennifer Ln, Dillsburg, PA 17019

Readers’ Choice

Anderson Pro Painting, Inc. 18 Railroad Ave, Shiremanstown, PA 17011

Pest Control

Readers’ Choice

Penn Pest 2810 Shutt Mill Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Simply the Best Wilbur Wildlife Control Service 404 W Keller St, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Plumber

Simply the Best Handyside Plumbing, HVAC & Electrical 450 Fishing Creek Rd Suite 1, Goldsboro, PA 17319

Readers’ Choice

Zimmerman Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning

110 E Allen St, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Pool/Spa Service

Readers’ Choice

Aqua Specialists, Inc. 160 Silver Spring Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Simply the Best Goodall Pools

Mechanicsburg 5129 E Trindle Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Renovations & Restoration Services

Simply the Best Home-Time Renovation LLC 5821 Linglestown Rd Suite 112, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Readers’ Choice Service1st Restoration & Remodeling 330 E Park Dr, Harrisburg, PA 17111

Readers’ Choice

Tuckey Restoration, Inc. 12 Stover Dr, Carlisle, PA 17015

Security Company

Simply the Best ADT Security Services 4309 Linglestown Rd Suite 114, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Readers’ Choice

Securewire Technologies 2708 Commerce Dr, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Tree Service & Stump Removal

Readers’ Choice

Alpine Tree Experts

Lewisberry, PA 17339

Simply the Best

Staub’s Stump Removal LLC. 281 Meadowview Rd, Dillsburg, PA 17019

LEGAL

Business Law Attorney

Simply the Best

Dan Jameson @ Jameson Stone Law

Readers’ Choice

Mark Emery @ Law Offices of Mark K. Emery

Criminal Defense Attorney

Simply the Best

Ethan Stone @ Jameson Stone Law

Readers’ Choice

Geoffrey S. McInroy @ The Law Office of Geoffrey McInroy, LLC

Divorce Attorney

Simply the Best

Catherine Boyle @ Saltzgiver & Boyle

Readers’ Choice

Katherine McDonald @ Dethlefs Pykosh & Murphy

Readers’ Choice

Lee Smigel @ Smigel, Anderson & Sacks

Employment Attorney

Simply the Best

Dan Jameson @ Jameson Stone Law

Readers’ Choice

Peter J Russo @ Law Offices of Peter J. Russo

Estate Planning Attorney

Simply the Best

Ethan Stone @ Jameson Stone Law

Readers’ Choice

Mary-Jo Mullen @ Halbruner Hatch & Guise

Family Law Attorney

Readers’ Choice

Deborah E. Crum @ Smigel, Anderson & Sacks

Simply the Best Kara Haggerty @ Law Offices of Peter J. Russo

Readers’ Choice

Laurie Saltzgiver @ Saltzgiver & Boyle

Law Firm

Simply the Best Jameson Stone Law

Readers’ Choice

McNees Wallace & Nurick

Personal Injury Attorney

Simply the Best

Ethan Stone @ Jameson Stone Law

Readers’ Choice

Michael R. Kelley @ Smigel, Anderson & Sacks

Readers’ Choice

Zachary Campbell @ Metzger Wickersham

Workman’s Compensation Attorney

Simply the Best

A.J. Palutis @ Smigel, Anderson & Sacks

Readers’ Choice

Steven Ryan @ Martin Law

Thank you...

LOCAL INTEREST

Customer Values - Large Business

Readers’ Choice

Bobby Rahal Automotive Group

Simply the Best Members 1st Federal Credit Union 5000 Marketplace Way, Enola, PA 17025

Customer Values - Medium Business

Readers’ Choice

Musser Home Builders 395 Gettysburg St, Dillsburg, PA 17019

Simply the Best Wolf Brewing Co. 100 Legacy Park Drive Suite 400, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Customer Values - Small Business

Simply the Best Midst8 Taco 900 Market St #1, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Readers’ Choice

Simply Flavorful Ltd 100 Walden Way, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Family-Owned Business

Readers’ Choice

JFC Staffing Companies

1520 Market St #4815, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Simply the Best Mountz Jewelers | Camp Hill 3780 E Trindle Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Minority-Owned Business

Readers’ Choice

Good Brothas Book Cafe 1419 N 3rd St, Harrisburg, PA 17102

L O V E S T O R Y R e t e l l y o u r

W e d d i n g s b y J D K

A t T h e J D K G r o u p , w e a d o r e l o v e s t o r i e s a n d w a n t t o k n o w a l l a b o u t y o u r s a n d h o w t h a t t r a n s l a t e s i n t o y o u r m o s t s p e c i a l d a y !

W e h a v e a t a l e n t e d t e a m o f p a s s i o n a t e e v e n t m a g i c

m a k e r s w h o c a n n o t w a i t t o b e a b l e t o m a k e y o u r w e d d i n g d a y b e t t e r t h a n y o u c o u l d i m a g i n e t h r o u g h o u r s e r v i c e s o f f l a v o r f u l f o o d , p e r s o n a b l e s e r v i c e , a n d j a wd r o p p i n g d e s i g n W h e t h e r y o u a r e p l a n n i n g a n i n t i m a t e c e r e m o n y o r a n e x t r a v a g a n t r e c e p t i o n , w e a r e c o m m i t t e d t o p r o v i d i n g y o u r d a y w i t h t h e p e r s o n a l i z e d a t t e n t i o n i t d e s e r v e s t o c r e a t e a n e x p e r i e n c e y o u r g u e s t s w o n ' t b e a b l e t o s t o p t a l k i n g a b o u t

T h e J D K G r o u p - H e r e t o C e l e b r a t e w i t h y o u f o r L i f e .

P h o t o g r a p h y b y A s h l e e Z i m m e r m a n

P h o t o g r a p h y b y L a u r e n B l i s s

P h o t o g r a p h y b y R e b e c c a L e s s n e r

Lets start

P L A N N I N G !

S t a r t y o u r w e d d i n g p l a n n i n g j o u r n e y t o d a y

b y c o n t a c t i n g o u r W e d d i n g S p e c i a l i s t

T e a m a t i n f o @ t h e j d k g r o u p . c o m

Readers’ Choice

Olee de Lux, Salon Professionals

215 Reily St, Harrisburg, PA 17102

Simply the Best

Sweet Confections Cakes

4702 Fritchey St, Harrisburg, PA 17109

New Business (Opened after 1/1/2022)

Readers’ Choice

Loving Heart Blissful Soul

Readers’ Choice

Sweet T & Greens

Simply the Best

The Mindful Nurse Practitioner

170 Old Schoolhouse Ln, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

One-Man Operation (No employees)

Simply the Best Palmyra Greenhouse

626 E Oak St, Palmyra, PA 17078

Simply the Best

Peaceful Paws Pet Sitting & Advanced Care

Lambs Gap Rd, Enola, PA 17025

Veteran-Owned Business

Simply the Best Sweet Confections Cakes

4702 Fritchey St, Harrisburg, PA 17109

Readers’ Choice

Elements Massage - Camp Hill

Woman-Owned Business

Readers’ Choice

Bronya Schmoyer Ceramics

Simply the Best Pet Bath and Beyond

905 Kranzel Dr, Camp Hill, PA 17011

RECREATION & LEISURE

Art Gallery

Readers’ Choice

Brain Vessel Mechanicsburg

4704 Carlisle Pike, Hampden Township, PA 17050

Simply the Best Smith Custom Framing-Fine 190 Reno Ave, New Cumberland, PA 17070

Readers’ Choice

Vivi On Verbeke

258 Verbeke St, Harrisburg, PA 17102

Community/Charity Event

Readers’ Choice

Ronald McDonald House

Diamonds & Denim

745 W Governor Rd, Hershey, PA 17033

Simpy the Best

Vickie’s Angel Walk

511 Bridge St #511, New Cumberland, PA 17070

Entertainment Center (jump, gocarts, etc.)

Simply the Best Carlisle Sports Emporium

29 S Middlesex Rd, Carlisle, PA 17015

Readers’ Choice

Jubilee Cake Studio

105 Gateway Dr, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Golf Course

Simply the Best Armitage Golf Club

800 Orrs Bridge Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice

Liberty Forge Golf Course 3804 Lisburn Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Readers’ Choice

Range End Golf Club 303 Golf Club Ave, Dillsburg, PA 17019

Historical Site

Readers’ Choice Fort Hunter Mansion and Park 5300 N Front St, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Simply the Best Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center 1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg, PA 17325

Library

Simply the Best Cleve J. Fredricksen Library 100 N 19th St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice East Shore Area Library 4501 Ethel St, Harrisburg, PA 17109

Readers’ Choice

Joseph P. Simpson Library 16 N Walnut St, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Local Sports Team (Professional, College, High School, etc.)

Readers’ Choice

Harrisburg Senators 245 Championship Way, Harrisburg, PA 17101

Simply the Best

Hershey Bears Hockey at Giant Center Giant Center, W, 550 Hersheypark Drive, 550 Hersheypark Dr, Hershey, PA 17033

Museum

Readers’ Choice State Museum of Pennsylvania

Readers’ Choice

The National Civil War Museum

1 Lincoln Cir, Harrisburg, PA 17103

Simply the Best Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts

222 Market St, Harrisburg, PA 17101

Must See Place in Harrisburg

Simply the Best Broad Street Market

1233 N 3rd St, Harrisburg, PA 17102

Readers’ Choice City Island Harrisburg Station Road, Harrisburg, PA 17101

Park

Simply the Best Adams-Ricci Park

100 E Penn Dr, Enola, PA 17025

Readers’ Choice Wildwood Park

100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Place For Kids to Have Fun

Simply the Best Hersheypark

100 Hersheypark Dr, Hershey, PA 17033

Readers’ Choice Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts

222 Market St, Harrisburg, PA 17101

Place To Spend a Day Off

Readers’ Choice Hersheypark

100 Hersheypark Dr, Hershey, PA 17033

THANK YOU to our volunteers – we are honored to serve our community alongside you.

Simply the Best

Lake Tobias Wildlife Park 760 Tobias Rd, Halifax, PA 17032

Place To Take a Date

Readers’ Choice

The Barn Restaurant at Allenberry 1559 Boiling Springs Rd, Boiling Springs, PA 17007

Simply the Best The Hershey Hotel

Place To Take a Tourist

Simply the Best Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center 1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg, PA 17325

Readers’ Choice

Hersheypark 100 Hersheypark Dr, Hershey, PA 17033

Readers’ Choice

Lake Tobias Wildlife Park 760 Tobias Rd, Halifax, PA 17032

Place To Volunteer Readers’ Choice

Central Pennsylvania Food Bank - Harrisburg Branch

3908 Corey Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17109

Simply the Best New Hope Ministries 5228 E Trindle Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Travel Agency

Readers’ Choice

AAA Central Penn 2301 Paxton Church Rd Harrisburg PA 17110

Simply the Best

AAA Central Penn

4680 E Trindle Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011

DJ

Lighting

Photo Booth

Audio Visual

Readers’ Choice

Richcreek Vacation Center

5300 Linglestown Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17112

SHOPPING

Antique & Gift Mall

Readers’ Choice Stitch in Time

43 N Market St, Millerstown, PA 17062

Simply the Best

The Antique Marketplace of Lemoyne 415 Bosler Ave, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Clothing Boutique - New

Simply the Best Maggie Adams

3605 Gettysburg Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice

UNDERNEATH IT ALL

1801 Market St Rear, Suite 104, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Clothing BoutiqueVintage/Consignment

Readers’ Choice

Miss Ruth’s Time Bomb 24 N Hanover St, Carlisle, PA 17013

Simply the Best Wears Like New Consignment Shop

1207 Market St, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Farmers Market

Readers’ Choice Fresh Market at Hershey Towne Square

121 Towne Square Dr, Hershey, PA 17033

Simply the Best West Shore Farmers Market 900 Market St, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Framers

Readers’ Choice Artworks Custom Picture Framing 5400, 6200 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Simply the Best Smith Custom FramingFine Art Gallery

190 Reno Ave, New Cumberland, PA

Jewelry Store

Readers’ Choice K Novinger Jewelry 1200 Market St # 9, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Simply the Best Mountz Jewelers | Camp Hill 3780 E Trindle Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Local Grocery Store

Simply the Best Pronio’s Market

Readers’ Choice Simply Flavorful 100 Walden Way, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Simply the Best Local Store (Without a Category) Cupboard Maker Books 157 N Enola Rd, Enola, PA 17025

Readers’ Choice Local Store (Without a Category) Glitz Soap Co. 1 E Main St, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Nursery/Garden Center

Simply the Best Stauffers of Kissel Hill Home & Garden Store - Mechanicsburg 51 Gettysburg Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Readers’ Choice Stauffers of Kissel Hill Home & Garden Store -Harrisburg 5350 Linglestown Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Place To Shop for The Home

Readers’ Choice INTERIORS HOME 3415 Simpson Ferry Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Simply the Best R.F. Fager Co. 2051 State Rd, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Readers’ Choice Specialty or Hobby Store

Simply the Best One Good Woman 1801 Market St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

The Midtown Scholar Bookstore1302 N 3rd St, Harrisburg, PA 17102

Supermarket

Readers’ Choice GIANT - Harrisburg 2300 Linglestown Rd, Harrisburg, PA

Simply the Best Wegmans - Mechanicsburg 6416 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice

Weis Markets - Enola 4525 Valley Rd, Enola, PA 17025

Thrift or Consignment Stores

Simply the Best CommunityAid 4833 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Readers’ Choice Pink Hands of Hope 5325 E Trindle Rd, Hampden Township, PA 17050

WEDDING & EVENTS Birthday Party Services

Readers’ Choice Backyard Bliss LLC

Simply the Best Sweet Confections Cakes 4702 Fritchey St, Harrisburg, PA 17109

Bridal Shop/Formal Store

Simply the Best

Taylored for You Bridal Boutique 516 E Main St, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Readers’ Choice

Unveiled Bridal and Formal

5913 Linglestown Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Caterer

Readers’ Choice

Strock Enterprises, Inc.

729 Williams Grove Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Simply the Best

The JDK Group Catering & Events

1 Bishop Pl, Camp Hill, PA 17011

DJ/Event Entertainment

Readers’ Choice

Klock Entertainment

1310 Crooked Hill Rd #100, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Simply the Best

Mixed-Up Productions

1351 Eisenhower Blvd Building 2, Suite 204, Harrisburg, PA 17113

Event Coordinator

Readers’ Choice Backyard Bliss LLC

Simply the Best Peter Allen House

1801 Peters Mountain Rd, Dauphin, PA

Event Venue

Simply the Best

Historic Acres of Hershey PA 3425 Old Hershey Rd, Elizabethtown, PA

Readers’ Choice Event Venue

Historic King Mansion

2201 N Front St, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Florist & Event Decor

Readers’ Choice

Balloons by J

353 W Juniata Pkwy, Millerstown, PA 17062

Readers’ Choice

Colton Staver from The JDK Group

1 Bishop Pl, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Simply the Best

Palmyra Greenhouse

626 E Oak St, Palmyra, PA 17078

Hotel

Readers’ Choice

Hilton Harrisburg

One N 2nd St, Harrisburg, PA 17101

Readers’ Choice

Penn Harris Hotel

Trademark Collection by Wyndham

1150 Camp Hill Bypass, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Simply the Best Hotel

The Hotel Hershey 100 Hotel Rd, Hershey, PA 17033

Party Rentals

Simply the Best A to Z Event Rentals, LLC 200 N 2nd St, Dillsburg, PA 17019

Readers’ Choice

Amanda’s Vintage Rentals LLC 1829 E Grand Ave, Tower City, PA 17980

Photographer

Readers’ Choice

Erin Shaffer Photography 4076 Market St #201, Camp Hill, PA

Simply the Best Photographer

Kate McCord Photography

11 N Railroad Ave #19, Mechanicsburg, PA

Wedding Cakes

Readers’ Choice

Sweet Confections Cakes 4702 Fritchey St, Harrisburg, PA 17109

Simply the Best

The Pennsylvania Bakery 1713 Market St, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Wedding Planner (Business)

Readers’ Choice Peter Allen House 1801 Peters Mountain Rd, Dauphin, PA

Simply the Best

The JDK Group Catering & Events

1 Bishop Pl, Camp Hill, PA 17011

Wedding Planner (Individual)

Simply the Best

Barbara Pinto @ Peter Allen House

Readers’ ChoiceCourtney Cerjanic @ Sapphire Road Weddings

Readers’ Choice Susan Moran @ That’s it! Wedding Planning