Harrisburg Magazine May 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

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Shane Carino scarino@harrisburgmagazine.com

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

Richard Eppinger reppinger@harrisburgmagazine.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Sandra Fees

Christina Heintzelman

Michael James Kacey

David Morrison

Bill Roddey

CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS

Mya Grove

Brad Maurer

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Will Masters Paul Vasiliades

SALES OFFICE 717.233.0109 4309 Linglestown Road, Suite 115 Harrisburg,

Where's the

It’s Actually Closer to Home Than You May Realize

Story by Randy Gross, rgross@harrisburgmagazine.com

Photos by Will Masters

Gourmet cooks and gourmands agree: the unique taste and tenderness of highly marbled Wagyu beef provides an unrivaled eating experience.

But did you know that, behind every Wagyu steak, there is a dedicated breeding, nurturing, and processing process that involves sophisticated genetics expertise? Or that a farm that incorporates all the above has acreage right here in Central PA?

At A5 Wagyu, owned and operated by Robert L. Myers, whom some people will also recognize as a highly successful oral surgeon, Wagyu is more than just a

business. And it all began when Myers first tasted Wagyu at Bobby Flay’s restaurant in Atlantic City. He was instantly hooked. So much so that he decided to begin raising the elite full blood Wagyu cattle himself – but not before fully educating himself about the unique properties of the breed and adopting the fundamentals of Blackmore genetics from Australia. With the Blackmore philosophy of “breeding the best to the best, with constant vigilance to ensure the health and safety of our herd,” Myers was prepared for the path to Wagyu excellence from the very beginning.

Those “best to the best” aspirations include a goal of informing the public about the difference between A5 full blood Wagyu and F1 50/50 Wagyu that’s been crossbred with Angus cattle. In a recent interview with Wagyu World magazine, Myers states “I think allowing F1s to be marketed as Wagyu really hurts the fullblood brand; we need to differentiate it from F1. We process about 100 steers each year, and we’ve found – when we talk to restaurants and chefs – that they are

confused also.”

Myers purchased his first four Wagyu beef cattle in 2015, and that number has now grown to approximately 350 between his Pennsylvania and Virginia farms. Over the past couple of years, A5 Wagyu

Wagyu Beef?

has gotten involved with embryo transfer, even having an embryologist on site in Virginia for the embryo transfer and flushing process. Future plans are for further expansion of their Wagyu program and, as one of only two importers of the Blackmore program in the US, further sharing of the genetics.

And, of course, also further sharing of the delicious and healthy benefits of Wagyu beef!

Not only is Wagyu a gastronomic delight, but experts have begun to cite its health benefits. The mono-unsaturated to saturated fat ratio is higher in Wagyu than in other beef, and it is also higher in a type of fatty acid called

conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Wagyu beef contain the highest amount of CLA per gram of any foodstuff – about 30% more than other beef breeds – due to higher linoleic acid levels. Foods that are naturally high in CLA have fewer negative health effects.

More information on A5 Wagyu can be found at www.a5wagyu.net.

The State Museum is “Pennsylvania’s Smithsonian!”

By David J. Morrison

Not long after Jacqueline Kennedy made the pillbox hat one of the most iconic ladies’ fashion statements of the 20th century, a similar cylindrical shape would loom prominently in Pennsylvania’s Capitol Complex across North Street from the Capitol Building.

The new William Penn Memorial Museum, the official State Museum of Pennsylvania, was completed in 1964 along with the adjacent geometrically contrasting State Archives

Tower, both designed in the Mid-CenturyModern style by the celebrated Harrisburg architectural firm of Lawrie & Green. Newspaper accounts dubbed it “the pillbox” or likened it to New York City’s Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

The project’s genesis dated to 1944, William Penn’s 300th birthday, when many initiatives to celebrate the legacy and values of Pennsylvania’s founder were flourishing amid the global backdrop of international fascism

and authoritarianism. William Penn, after all, symbolized religious freedom, cultural diversity, and, most specifically, democracy. The Pennsylvania General Assembly he established in 1682 stands today as the world’s oldest democracy, a full century older than the U.S. Congress itself!

These ideals, during the grim years of World War II, blended with the long-overdue need for a new state museum to affect a brilliant compromise in legislative decision making, resulting in a monument that is both a state museum and a memorial to William Penn. The central element of the new museum was the 18-foot statue of William Penn designed by sculptor Janet de Coux that prominently stands in the museum’s Memorial Hall, a space much used for ceremonies, receptions, weddings, and a host of other official and private events. William Penn’s quiet influence is ever-present.

The State Museum’s story goes back much further, however. In 1893, the new Executive Office and State Library Building was built immediately south of the old Capitol Building as a “fireproof” facility to also house the state’s historic paintings, maps, artifacts, battle flags and other treasures. This building is now the Matthew J. Ryan Legislative Office Building, having served many uses over its lifetime.

It was in 1905, when Governor Samuel Pennypacker was in the midst of building the new State Capitol Building, that he saw a winwin opportunity. An accomplished historian himself, and perpetually busy in the mold of his contemporary, President Theodore Roosevelt, Pennypacker arranged to locate the executive offices of the Governor into the new Capitol (in spaces originally designated for

Photos submitted

Presented by Dr. Jean - Paul Benowitz at the Historic King Mansion (2201 N. Front St, Hbg)

the Speaker of the House adjoining the House Chamber), freeing up his former premises to house a State Museum that would be curated and open to the public.

Many Baby Boomers of today recall scout group tours and school-age visits to the “old” State Museum prior to the opening of the new facility in 1965.

When it opened, the new State Museum was nearly empty! Many of the contents of the old museum, while worthy of saving, were not necessarily suitable for display in a modern interpretive museum. Thus, in its first fifteen years, State Museum staff devoted themselves to conceptualizing, acquiring, designing, and installing many of the popular exhibits that continue to fascinate and enlighten visitors of all ages to this day.

Additional features pertaining to William Penn’s legacy include display cases behind the statue area for various priceless documents including the original Charter given to Penn by King Charles II of England which now is displayed just one day a year (Charter Day). Leading to that area and flanking the Penn statue are ornamental gates adorned with bronze statuettes of various Pennsylvanians who advanced Penn’s values: signers of the Declaration of Independence, abolitionists, and Native American leaders.

On the curved center wall of Memorial Hall is artist Vincent Maragliotti’s 90-foot mural intended to show the historical evolution of Pennsylvania and Penn’s ideals of freedom and justice (Maragliotti called it “William Penn’s vision of a free society and what came out of it”) with 168 Pennsylvanians reflecting these ideals as well as quotations by others (“If I thought I was going to die today, I should plant a tree nevertheless today.” – Stephen Girard.)

Slowly, the new permanent exhibits were developed and added in various major galleries or halls: Fine Arts in 1965; Mammal Hall in 1968; Ecology Hall in 1973; Anthropology Hall in 1975; Geology Hall in 1976; and Industry and Technology in 1978. Most of these have undergone updates, modernization, or renovations over the years.

In 2018, to mark its 50th anniversary as the museum’s most popular attraction, Mammal Hall underwent a complete rejuvenation to remove accumulated dust from animal fur and artificial vegetation surfaces, to upgrade lighting and visibility, and to correct errors

of authenticity such as substituting a skeletal mother deer for a well-fed one, reflecting the actual hardship of birthing and nursing a fawn in springtime.

In addition, various new semi-permanent and short-term exhibits have come and gone. When the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission was replacing the last of its original Royal blue toll booths, museum curators snatched one from the scrap heap, restored it, and installed it among the transportation history displays,

emphasizing the importance of “America’s first superhighway” that opened in 1940 on the eve of World War II as America’s “we can, too!” answer to Germany’s Autobahn. A large vintage Packard sedan sits nearby.

More recently installed is the current semipermanent exhibit, “A Place for All: Three Stories of Integration in Pennsylvania.” This exhibit chronicles three high-profile episodes of the struggle for racial integration in three Pennsylvania communities: the Highland Please see The State Museum continued on Page 12

Park public swimming pool in Pittsburgh; the suburban development of Levittown in Bucks County; and Girard College in North Philadelphia, the boarding school funded in

An important annual short-term exhibit, nearly as old as the State Museum itself, is the yearly “Art of the State” juried exhibit of fine arts in various media, entered by

generous posture enabled new and struggling groups to get established and flourish. These have included Historic Harrisburg Association (1973) and Women in the Arts (1983), as well as a long running Friday night film series, to name a few.

The Memorial Day Greater Harrisburg Arts Festival (now Artsfest) was staged for its first 25 years in and around the museum, including its multi-purpose landscaped plazas. While the Artsfest has since moved to Riverfront Park, other festivals have been staged on the museum campus, most recently the 2022 Harrisburg Pride Festival.

Not only did the museum’s generosity aid these efforts in gaining sustainability, but the additional outcomes were the drawing of diverse populations into Downtown Harrisburg and the fueling of Harrisburg’s cultural, social, and economic wellbeing. Over the decades, this role of the State Museum cannot be underestimated.

The State Museum has been blessed with a succession of outstanding directors and staff – all State employees who nevertheless enjoy a degree of professional creativity under the umbrella of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), of which the State Museum is just one component, albeit the central one.

The newest Director of the State Museum is Angelica Docog, appointed in March 2023. “Angelica brings with her outstanding experience in community partnership and a wealth of knowledge in increasing visitation, revenue generation, and fundraising, which is important as the museum embarks on implementing its master plan,” said PHMC Executive Director Andrea Lowery.

1831 by the estate of financier Stephen Girard and initially open only to “poor, white, male orphans.”. After it was integrated by court order, it accepted its first black students in 1968 and its first female in 1984.

The three sections of this exhibit make excellent use of vintage objects and ephemera from the historical era and circumstances being interpreted. This has the effect of transporting the visitor back to Girard College, or Levittown, or the Highland Park Pool.

professional and amateur artists from across Pennsylvania. Cash prizes are awarded, and an annual purchase prize has added a variety of outstanding works into the State Museum’s holdings.

In addition to its significant role as “Pennsylvania’s Smithsonian,” the State Museum over the years has played another important role as the host or incubator of numerous community arts and cultural organizations.

The State Museum’s welcoming and

Docog, whose resume includes museum leadership posts in Texas, Colorado, and Arizona, has energetically embraced her role in the community. Among her welcoming rites is the May 21 event being hosted by the Historic Harrisburg Association, “A Toast to the State Museum!,” celebrating the 50-year friendship of the two institutions and their positive impact on the community.

The forthcoming master plan, which will be implemented by Lowery, Docog, and others, will offer still more spaces and opportunities for public access and enjoyment, while keeping the venerable State Museum of Pennsylvania

at the cutting edge of its industry. A toast, in this or any year, is appropriate indeed!

David J. Morrison is Executive Director of Historic Harrisburg Association and a frequent contributor to Harrisburg Magazine.

Director of the State Museum Angelica Docog

On Stage at area theaters in June

Tiny Beautiful Things, based on the best-selling book by Cheryl Strayed and adapted by Academy Award nominee Nia Vardalo (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), plays at Open Stage through May 7. It follows the relationships between an anonymous advice columnist and the many real-life readers who pour their hearts out to her. Tissues are recommended.

Also at Open Stage is Poirot investigates!, the farcical adaptation of a short story by Agatha Christie, directed by Stuart Landon. Christie’s famous sleuth brings his wits to bear to solve the mystery of the Western Star, a rare gem, and protect its unsuspecting owner. May 27-June 17. openstagehbg.com.

Lady Windermere’s Fan concerns a woman who strives to be a paragon of morality. Suspecting her husband is having an affair, she rashly decides to abandon her secure position for an affair of her own. The lady soon learns the difference between good and bad people isn’t as straightforward as she may think. Fast-paced repartee and pithy epigrams abound in this Victorian comedy-of-manners by Oscar Wilde. May 5-21. Oyster Mill Playhouse. oystermill.com.

It’s 1945. American soldiers return home to ticker-tape parades and overjoyed families. Private Donny Novitski, a singer/songwriter, hopes to rebuild his life with just the shirt on his back and a dream in his heart, in Bandstand. Music by Richard Oberacker, who also wrote the book and lyrics with Robert Taylor. May 25-June 5. Hershey Area Playhouse. hersheyareaplayhouse.com.

Steve Martin, popular actor/screenwriter, shows his ability to write for the stage in Picasso at the Lapin Agile. In this long-running Off Broadway absurdist comedy, Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein meet in a Parisian cafe in 1904, just before the renowned scientist transformed physics with his theory of relativity and the celebrated painter set the art world afire with cubism. Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg. May 26-June 11. ltmpa.com.

Continuing through May 14 is Theatre Harrisburg’s Side Show, about conjoined twins. theatreharrisburg.com.

Shrek: the Musical Jr. at Susquehanna Stage. Based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film, this Tony Award-winning fairy tale adventure, featuring songs from Jeanine Tesori and a sidesplitting book by David LindsayAbaire, proves there’s more to the story than meets the ears. May 12-21. susquehannastage.com.

Through May 20 is Footloose: the Musical. Based on the 1984 movie, the hit musical tells the story of Ren McCormack, moving from Chicago to small-town Bomont, where the Reverend has convinced the town to ban dancing. Ren must teach them the wisdom of listening to young people – and dancing. PG-13. Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre. dutchapple. com.

Also at Dutch Apple is Elvis; A Musical Revolution, the official Elvis Presley bio-musical that takes a closer look at the rock star and cultural icon and his impact on the history of music and culture. It features such hit songs as “All Shook up,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” and “Are you Lonesome.” Also PG13. May 26-June 24.

The Honky Tonk Angels is the hilarious story about three gutsy gals determined to better their lives and follow their dreams to Nashville. From the creator of Always, Patsy Cline, it combines 30 classic country tunes (including “Stand by Your Man and” “Harper Valley PTA”). May 26-June 11. Totem Pole Playhouse. totempoleplayhouse.org.

Barbara Trainin Blank is a freelance journalist, book author, editor, and playwright. She grew up in New York City in a house rich in the arts, which are a major focus of her writing. She lived in Harrisburg for 24 years and continues to contribute to regional publications.

Maximizing Military Benefits

Awhile back, I received a phone call from my college roommate. He was ecstatic to share that after completing his assignment on the USS Harry Truman, he would be participating in the prestigious Civilian Institution 810 program. This program allows him to earn an MBA while on active duty in the Navy but requires additional years of service. As old friends chewed the fat, the topic of financial planning popped up. In my previous position, I was a financial advisor at a firm just outside of the Norfolk Naval Base and my services catered to activeduty military services members. So, in honor of Military Appreciation month, let’s discuss some financial planning strategies.

Blended Retirement System (BRS)

Many in the military community were skeptical of the Blended Retirement Program, but as a Certified Financial Planner, I’m happy to report there are a lot of benefits to this planning opportunity for our service members. The BRS can be broken down into four main categories:

1. TSP Matching – The old retirement program, the Legacy 36, did not provide significant retirement benefits for service members that chose to serve less than 20 years. The Thrift Savings Program (TSP) matching component addresses this issue. It is very similar to a civilian 401(k) company match. This allows service members to save a portion of their pay into the TSP and receive matching contributions, to help grow their retirement savings. Funds can remain in the TSP or rollover to an

Individual Retirement Account (IRA) or civilian 401(k) after separation from service.

2. Continuation Pay – For members engaged in 8 – 12 years of service, a retention bonus is offered for additional obligated service. Think of this as a bonus. This can be used for various financial needs such as reducing and eliminating debt, creating a college savings account, funding a down payment on a house, or super-charging your retirement savings. I typically recommend running a financial plan to maximize the use of this lump sum cash infusion.

3. Defined Benefit – This provides an incentive for individuals to serve twenty years and receive a monthly pension, a guaranteed monthly retirement income.

4. Lump Sum – Depending on cash flow requirements, the various service branches allow a lump sum distribution. This is a taxable event and temporarily reduces your monthly pension distribution, so a financial project is warranted. However, this can be an advantageous planning tool. For example, many military veterans start businesses after their service, or college education expenses arise. This can be a funding tool, but the decision should not be made in a vacuum.

Non-Regular Retirement (Reserved Retirement)

Reservists/Guard members are eligible for

retirement after 20 years of service using a point system. Unlike activity duty service members that can receive immediate retirement benefits, reservists are eligible for benefits at 60 years of age. This so called “gray zone” creates a retirement gap. It’s important to factor when benefits are available in your retirement plan prior to making any financial decisions.

Service Group Life Insurance (SGLI) & Veterans Group Life Insurance (VGLI) These can be rich benefits for service members and veterans. VGLI is guaranteed acceptance, so you do not need to take a medical exam to get insurance. But keep a close eye on premiums, VGLI can get expensive.

Lot of Moving Parts

There are a lot of moving parts with military benefits. There are many nuances to the various programs available to veterans, that cannot be explained in a short article. Prior to making any decision, run detailed projections to account for retirement funding, taxes, and total costs. And don’t hesitate to reach out to an expert on military benefits.

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.

Benefits of canned versus dry pet food

There are countless sources of information available about pet care.

From pet food and training to illness and surgery, the internet is full of wellmeaning people and experts offering opinions and information, which can oftentimes be contradictory or misleading.

Some of the beliefs my staff and I encounter is that canned food is not good for your pet because it will make them gain weight, cause tooth decay, and give them diarrhea. On the contrary, high quality canned food is more likely than dry food to supply your pets with the nutrition they need.

As carnivores, cats and dogs should eat a lot of protein from animal sources. Grains, legumes, and potatoes are less useful to a pet’s body than animal protein. These fillers are used in dry pet food to bind, thicken, and add an inexpensive source of calories. In contrast, canned foods provide higher levels of digestible animal protein and plenty of moisture.

Cats especially have no need for the copious amounts of carbohydrates used to make dry cat foods. Since felines are inefficient drinkers and their digestive tracts are designed to get moisture through the consumption of meat, they often wind up in a state of dehydration. A high moisture diet will keep them hydrated, helping to ward off diabetes, renal disease,

excessive weight gain and urinary tract infections.

Diets high in calories from carbohydrates are one of the main causes of obesity in dogs and cats. Because high quality canned food is low in carbohydrates and high in animal protein, it can help an animal lose weight. The high moisture content in canned pet food also satisfies their appetites more quickly.

Because canned pet food has fewer carbohydrates, it can also benefit a pet’s dental health. Eating exclusively dry foods leaves a residue of starch that builds up below the gum line. There, it ferments into sugar and causes plaque and tartar build-up that can cause long term dental problems. (Imagine what would happen to your teeth if you ate a diet of crackers and cereal without ever brushing.)

Less processed canned foods are more nutritious because most dry pet food is heated to such high temperatures that the molecular structure of the ingredients, especially animal protein, is changed and vitamin loss occurs. Then, manufacturers must add synthetic vitamins back into the food for it to become complete and balanced.

Switching any of your pet’s foods can cause digestive upset. If you want to introduce canned food, do it slowly. Mix it with the current food and slowly increase it until you reach the desired ratio. Remember to cut back on regular food as canned is added. A teaspoon of canned pumpkin or the addition of probiotics can be used to avoid digestive upset when transitioning to new foods.

While good quality canned food is more expensive than dry food, the health benefits from a lower processed diet will pay off in your pet feeling better and needing fewer visits to the vet, which is where the real savings lie.

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.

By the Book/Alex Brubaker

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Here at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore, we believe in the power of literature and storytelling to bring readers together, and nothing brings readers together like hanging out with our favorite writers. With the warmer weather and longer days, we’re kicking our author event series into high gear this spring.

From the New York Times bestselling author behind the Bridgerton series to one of the most celebrated historical fiction authors working today, the Midtown Scholar Bookstore aims to be that laboratory for coming together. Read on for a snapshot of our spring author events — and make sure to visit our website at www.midtownscholar.com for our full event listings. All events will take place at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg.

Wednesday, May 10th at 1pm: Patti Callahan Henry, THE SECRET BOOK OF FLORA LEA

Patti Callahan Henry is writing some of the best historical fiction being produced today, and THE SECRET BOOK OF FLORA LEA might be her best yet. Set in World War II England, Henry’s new novel is the perfect pairing for book clubs, and anyone interested in the power of storytelling. Henry will be in conversation with author Amy Jo Burns in Harrisburg.

Friday, May 12th at 7pm: Julia Quinn,

QUEEN CHARLOTTE

Love it or hate it, you’ve heard of Bridgerton. It’s one of the most popular romance TV Series in the world, and Julia Quinn is the brilliant writer behind the books. Now, she’s coming to Harrisburg to discuss the new show and her brand-new novel (co-written with Shonda Rhimes), QUEEN CHARLOTTE. Quinn will be in conversation with Tik Tok royal commentator, Amanda Matta.

Thursday, May 25th at 7pm: Jeff Shaara, THE OLD LION

Jeff Shaara has been called the master of military fiction for good reason — over the span of his prestigious career, he’s written a total of fifteen New York Times bestselling novels, ranging from the Civil War to World War II. In THE OLD LION, Shaara takes on the life of one of America’s most enigmatic figures: Theodore Roosevelt. With Sharra’s riveting prose and dramatic flair, we can’t wait to see what he delivers in Harrisburg.

Tuesday, June 6th at 7pm: Samantha Irby, QUIETLY HOSTILE

From one of the most hilarious writers working today, fan-favorite Samantha Irby delivers an uproarious new essay collection, once again setting the bar even higher for comedy writing. QUIETLY HOSTILE is one of the most anticipated new books of the year for good reason, as Irby takes us on another outrageously funny tour of all the gory details

that make up the true portrait of her life. Irby will be joined by #1 New York Times bestselling poet Kate Baer in Harrisburg.

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.

“A good little bookstore . . . is a laboratory for coming together.”

- Ross Gay

So, we’re well into baseball season, which means we should probably talk a bit about baseball movies. Baseball is actually the only sport, aside from my Olympics obsession, that I follow. Put that together with my love of cinema and we have the perfect opportunity to do a Top 5 baseball movie list. So, play ball!

Before we get into the best, I would like to mention a few runners-up. No respectable baseball movie list would be complete without the likes of films such as The Sandlot, The Pride of the Yankees, Bang the Drum Slowly, Take Me Out to the Ballgame, Eight Men Out, and Major League, the latter of which was partially filmed at the (then) newly built stadium on City Island. But enough of this. Howzabout those best of the best baseball movies.

5. The Bad News Bears (1976) – I remember seeing this in the theatre when I was 9 years old and was amazed how real and rude these kids were. After, I was a changed man (or boy). I too would become a foul-mouthed little brat. And I did. My skills at shortstop were not as good though. But the movie still holds up as one of the best baseball movies – and one of the best movies about kids.

4. The Natural (1984) – Probably the most obscure film on this list – and the most underrated. Robert Redford, at the latter part of his Robert Redford peakness, plays a magical legendary ballplayer. The movie plays at being the ultimate fairytale of sports stardom – complete with the most spectacular light-shattering homerun ever shown on the big screen.

3. Bull Durham (1988) – I’m not normally much of a Kevin Costner fan (notice the lack of mention of his other baseball movie, the highly overrated Field of Dreams) but Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins make up for any lack of luster from the lead. Seriously though, this is a solid baseball movie through and through.

2. A League of Their Own (1992) – An all-star cast (even Madonna takes some swings) led by the late great Penny Marshall in the director’s

“How can you not be romantic about baseball?”

– Billy Beane (from “Moneyball”)

chair (a rarity back then – a woman at the helm of a studio picture) made this look at the reallife women’s baseball leagues during WWII a smash hit – and a great baseball movie, too. Geena Davis is great in the lead role. Just don’t cry in front of Tom Hanks.

1. Moneyball (2011) – “How can you not be romantic about baseball?” A great line in a great movie. That line pretty much sums up how my wife and I feel every baseball season. Brad Pitt should have won the Oscar for his portrayal of Oakland A’s GM Billy Beane. Simply put, if you want a perfect baseball movie, that perfectly embodies the ideals of the game, even while being about how the game was changing at the time, you cannot go wrong with Moneyball.

So there ya go gang. How can you not be romantic about baseball? See ya at the movies – and on the fiel

Kevyn Knox is a Writer, Artist, Pop Photographer, Film & TV Historian, Pez Collector, and Pop Culturist. He has written film reviews for FilmSpeak, Central PA Voice, and The Burg. His reviews & other ramblings can be found on his blog, www. allthingskevyn.com.

Where children thrive and families grow together

Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning is looking forward to joining the Harrisburg community!

CHS Harrisburg, which is now hiring passionate teachers and staff, will offer nonresidential weekday care and education for children from six weeks to age 5—with all costs covered for qualifying families. We will focus on developing the whole child through a blend of structured and play-based learning, and our on-site Family Success Center will connect families with essential tools and resources to thrive.

A strong team is essential to achieve our mission to help children and families grow. That is why we provide a nearly year-long paid professional development program before opening a CHS Center. The CHS Harrisburg professional development program begins this fall for our teachers and staff.

Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning

Transforming a Child’s Potential into a Reality

“Play is the highest form of research.” - Albert Einstein.

According to data released by Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, 101,500 eligible Pre-K children remain unserved in our state with 5,075 more classrooms needed to serve these children.

These numbers may appear daunting but not to the board and staff of Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning. Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning (CHS) was founded

in 2020 as a subsidiary of the Milton Hershey School (MHS).

Catherine Sweeney Hershey was a woman far ahead of her time, finding her way into the charitable circles of her then hometown of Lancaster, PA, especially the Lancaster Charity Society which was formed to help poor families in the city of Lancaster. Further, the Deed of Trust for Milton Hershey School was signed by both Milton and Catherine Hershey, thus cementing her role in the founding and shaping of that school.

A giant step forward occurred in 2020 when Milton Hershey School moved forward with its $350,000,000 initiative to initially develop six cost-free Early Childhood Education Centers in Pennsylvania to serve children six weeks to age 5 from economically disadvantaged and at-risk backgrounds. “The largest enrollments ever at the school and the outcomes of the current MHS graduates, along with the prudent stewardship of the resources from the Milton Hershey Trust put the school in a position of strength to explore and expand services to

Story by Christina Heintzelman

Photos submitted by Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning

From left to right - Harrisburg School District Superintendent Eric Turman, CHS Harrisburg Center Director Malissa Doster, CHS Executive Director Senate Alexander, MHS Board of Managers Chairwoman Diane Koken, MHS and CHS President Pete Gurt, Harrisburg City Council President Danielle Bowers

additional children. The decision was reached to name this venture the Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning. In the period since 2020 we have been hard at work to enhance the mission, vision, and strategy of this endeavor,” states Pete Gurt, President of Milton Hershey School and Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning.

Gurt has a long history with the school. He was the youngest of eight children born in Philadelphia to a family who sadly lost their father early in life. His mother learned of the Milton Hershey School and enrolled the boys, thus assuring them of a stable educational experience. Gurt says, “I have been associated with the school since the age of five. Milton Hershey School changed and transformed my life, so as soon as I had an opportunity to return, I did. I am now in my thirty-second year at the school and my ninth (year) as President of the School. It is just such an honor, a humble honor, for me to lead this extraordinary home and school in alignment with what Milton and Catherine Hershey wanted us to do and then, during this time, in the last several years, to also have the ability to start the Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning and be the person who is the caretaker and shaper for this strategy and vision for the next decade and longer.”

The first center will be CHS Hershey, which is slated to open in the Fall of 2023. The second center will be in Harrisburg at the intersection of North Sixth Street and Muench Street with an opening goal of Fall 2024. Plans are also underway for four additional centers, one located in Middletown, and the other

three in Lancaster County. “The Harrisburg center was strategically placed to ensure a good mix for families that are within walking distance, as well as easily located for families who drive into the city for work,” Gurt adds. In general, the philosophy for each center is for it to be ‘of the community,’ meaning that there will be thought put into the hiring of staff, liaison with services already provided in the community, and various services offered. From an admission standard there will be several factors considered. First and foremost will be age (between six weeks and four years at the time of enrollment). Secondly is the importance of aligning the purpose of Milton Hershey and CHS to assure that families of limited income can see their children thrive, so there will be an income threshold. Thirdly, looking for a family commitment to partner with the center in setting goals for the entire family to thrive and grow. “This will be a wonderful opportunity for families who are committed to this journey, more than it would be for families who only want occasional childcare as we are not a daycare provider, we are an early childhood education and integrated family services model,” Gurt states.

Each center will be designed to assist up to 150 children and their families. The training for employees at each center will last for nearly a year with different skill sets and mind sets necessary for the age of each child. “For example, with infants, yes, the care and feeding of the child is critically important but also language development, by talking to the babies, reading to the children, playing with the children, singing to the children – all of that is critically important in those early

years. It is also important to know that as we partner with the families, we are giving them additional confidence with those kinds of things so that what we do during the day with the children in our care can also continue into the evening with our families.” Gurt goes on to say that the importance is for the idea of play based learning to take center stage, as this is the way a child learns to interact with others; how play helps a child to become an explorer and discoverer. This will be a consistent theme across all the centers and for all ages.

Gurt states that the hiring process for CHS Harrisburg staff is underway so that the new employees will have education and training by the time the school is slated to open its doors to children and their families.

Family Success programming will be available to ensure flourishing within a family, with programs being designed for this goal. These programs will aid in supporting family confidence towards success, connecting with various local services dealing with many issues such as health and parent employment assistance through connecting with various resources within the community to assist the ability of a family to earn a family sustaining wage. “It is our mission to assist families and their children in reaching their goals. Our goal is to partner with our families and understand their needs and their goals and to help equip them with the skill set and heart set to accomplish what they feel they want to achieve. We have a deep commitment to partner with existing services that exist in communities where our centers will be [located]; we want to be mindful of their work and leverage their work in true partnership with them to ensure that even more children and families can be served through our investment of time, resources, and services for those who are most vulnerable,” Gurt adds.

Gurt continues, “We are thrilled with the overwhelming response we have had in the Harrisburg area; every conversation with the mayor [Wanda Williams] has been positive. Our interactions with Harrisburg City Council have been extraordinarily positive, and conversations with other providers and other non-profits couldn’t have been more enthusiastic and supportive in wanting us to succeed. It is a great position to be in and that speaks to the character of the leadership in Harrisburg. We believe that we are not the only solution to early childhood development, but rather part of the larger solution, and

Catherine Hershey Schools continued from page 21

the more we can collaborate with leaders and change agents in Harrisburg - the success will be limitless.”

Senate Alexander, Executive Director of Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning, also has a background with Milton Hershey School as he was enrolled in MHS, coming to Hershey from Philadelphia, at the age of nine. “I had the opportunity of being part of Milton Hershey School from nine years of age until I graduated as a high school senior. It changed my life because of all the experiences I got there, the excellent education I received, the caring individuals who were there – it changed my life so much that I decided ‘I want to do something like this when I grow up.’” He went on to Temple University, receiving his bachelor’s degree in elementary education. He started out as an assistant teacher, while working on his degree. Then, after graduating, he worked his way up to a teacher in the early childhood education field, becoming a lead teacher, moving on to become the director of a center, and moving further on in his career path to become a district manager overseeing several centers. He moved onward as a regional director and then to becoming the executive director of a non-profit center based in Arlington, VA. Halfway through that employment he became a lawyer. “I made that decision because I realized how important policy is for schools. But I hated being a lawyer and came running back to early childhood education and used my legal background and understanding of non-profit organizations, meshing it with my early childhood educational background in leading the Catherine Hershey Schools, thinking about how to help make an awesome organization for the betterment of children, families, and community.”

Alexander’s job is overseeing the entire project for each of the initial six centers being built and started for CHS. There are nearly thirty employees in the central office who are putting together the entire program for CHS, in areas such as the development of the program, marketing, enrollment management, family success, human resources, and finance, to create the behind-the-scenes structure for CHS.

His role in setting the strategic vision of the organization, and then giving guidance and feedback to the implementation of these processes, will assure that the centers head in the direction originally envisioned for CHS end-stage goals. Each center will have the same type of learning experience and will be tailored to the needs of families and

communities where the centers are located. “There is the general approach but there will be certain nuances based on the needs of the specific community. But core early learning, play based learning, nutritious foods, family success and family engagement will all be part of the general approach in all centers,” Alexander states.

Partnerships with other local organizations will be very important with all of the centers. “We will partner and collaborate not only with the school districts where the centers are located but with other non-profit organizations who provide support services to families and community members themselves. Trust and involvement within the community where our centers are located is very important to our success and is intentional on our part as we know how important it is for us to be good neighbors and a part of a community.” He goes on to say that even the oversized playground area was intentional to provide a large grassy area in a largely urban block in the city.

Professional development for the success of all the centers is paramount in importance to CHS. Alexander says, “We have a unique opportunity, not often available to other schools and centers, of bringing in all the teaching staff, the family success staff, the management team, as well as other staff, to begin a nearly yearlong education process before a center is opened. So, on day one we will be ready to fire on all cylinders!” Culture building, team building, and community building will be a part of the integration with other agencies, children, families, and community to bring success to each CHS location.

Malissa Doster, Center Director for CHS Harrisburg, states that CHS is already gearing up for the 2024 opening of CHS Harrisburg and the Assistant Director and HR Generalist have been hired. CHS Harrisburg will have up to eighty positions upon opening in 2024, thus increasing various employment opportunities for the area.

Operations for the center will be from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. with space for up to 150 children. After hours scheduling for family programs and meetings with families will be available if necessary. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks will be provided for children with the food choices following the USDA program guidelines for nutrition and correct serving sizes for children. Formula for infants will also be provided as well as diapers and changes of clothing, should it be necessary. Washers and dryers will be available if the children’s own clothing needs to be washed and dried before they return home.

A large playground at ground level and a roof top STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) garden will be available for preschool children with a separate area for infants and toddlers. There will be opportunities to mix play with learning in the STEM area with much of it being nature-based investigation and education.

“Each classroom will have three teachers: a lead teacher who is responsible for lesson planning, ensuring the fidelity of classroom management, documentation, and observations; an associate teacher, and assistant teacher, who will fill in, provide hands on aid and support and assist with

Please see Catherine Hershey Schools continued on page 24

the smooth facilitation of the classroom, in addition to providing their ideas for lesson planning,” Doster states.

Doster’s background has always been involved with early childhood development. She began at the age of sixteen at a private childcare center as a floater. “I enjoyed the process of learning, engaging and talking with families and their children and taking on some additional tasks, such as birthday party planner, and weekend family events,” she adds. She then went on to study at the College of St. Elizabeth [St. Elizabeth University] in New Jersey and earned a degree in early childhood,

elementary education, and development. She worked with various childcare centers, becoming a lead teacher, but after moving to Ohio she felt ready to move onto a larger role and became the Director of a for-profit center in Ohio. She then moved on to an Executive Director position in a non-profit center and met the challenge of saving that center, which was suffering due to financial difficulties. Because of what she learned regarding the day-to-day operations and leadership roles of various centers, she felt ready for the next challenge and ready to return closer to home, applying for the new position opening at CHS Harrisburg. “And here I am, having the

opportunity to help build such an impactful center from the ground up, to serve lowincome families and support the growth of communities. It is like a dream to me,” she states.

Doster also talks about the necessity and desire to collaborate with and connect to local entities, non-profits, and other services already existing in the community, extending their impact. Participation through collaboration will be an important model for interaction between local resources and CHS Harrisburg. “We are hoping that we have figured out the ‘secret sauce’ of supporting the growth of the families, in such a way doing a great job that families are so impowered it won’t be necessary to transition these children to MHS; they will connect into their own communities and schools in Harrisburg and have the best life

Catherine Hershey Schools continued from page 23

going forward.” With that said, CHS intends to support families through the transition to kindergarten, whether they have elected to transition into their local school district or have submitted an application for enrollment at MHS.

As Milton Hershey said, “The value of our good is not measured by what it does, but by the amount of good it does to the one concerned.” The start of Milton and Catherine Hershey’s ‘goodness’ to children in need, beginning with the opening of MHS in 1910 for boys aged four to eight who had lost a father to death, grew to include older boys, then boys from family dynamics other than the death of a father, to finally include girls who, in 1977, numbered eight students. And now, this vision has grown exponentially in the amount of goodness given to an even greater swath of children in need. Milton and Catherine Hershey, through the Deed of Trust established in 1909, have exemplified the loving and giving nature necessary for communities to thrive and move forward, reaching for the best possible world for all children.

More information on Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning can be found on their website chslearn.org and be on the lookout as the first CHS opens in the fall in Hershey, PA, with a second location in Harrisburg happening in 2024.

On the Consolatory Pleasure of Jigsaws When the World Is in Bits from a headline in Psyche

by Sandra Fees

When the world is broken into one thousand pieces of sturdy recycled cardboard, the dissected map offers you— what?

A roundness? The chance to rebuild? The edges are tricky angles of resurrection. I group the remaining parts of myself by color—pink, brown, orange, velvet blue. Cirrus eyelashes the outer limits.

The first to be assembled from the cradle box—the raccoon and red-crowned crane. Then the endangered Manis Pentadactyla poached to the Wuhan market.

A deer leapfrogs the mountains that point their triangular fingers— go higher.

A peacocked comma takes shape, twirl of turquoise feathers and lapis baubles. The prenatal womb expands. The planet always gestating, always ample.

There are no humans. What’s reassembling— oceans and forests. Ear by ear by wing.

(First published in Nimrod International Journal of Prose and Poetry as a semifinalist for The Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry)

Sandra Fees has been published in Crab Creek Review, River Heron Review, Whale Road Review, Moon City Review, and other literary journals. A former Berks County Poet Laureate and the author of the chapbook, “The Temporary Vase of Hands,” she lives in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Artificial Intelligence is creating songs by popular singers who never sang those songs. And it’s everywhere. So, what’s next, an A.I. Top 40?

Our grass is as green as the money we spent on it.

There’s a new hierarchy in our house. There’s my wife on top, followed by the kids, the dog, the cat, feeding the birds, her cellphone, green houses, the garden, then, last but least, me.

This just in. The proverbial elephant in the room is Dumbo, who can also fly around the room. Now quit talking about him.

With the super success of the Super Mario Brothers movie, more video game movies are planned. How ‘bout “Pong” where Pong fights off an alien invasion with Ping as his love interest? Box office gold, my friend!

When did playing a movie become streaming a movie? About when a phone became a camera.

When you tip at restaurants and your waiter asks, “Are you sure?” like you could use it more than them, it’s time to change your food-stained shirt more than once a month. Trust me on this.

So many competitive TV shows have the rich looking down on the poor trying to become rich too, like wealth’s the proof of a good life given to you by millionaire Godlike judges. I’ll stick to my lottery tickets, where I’m gonna get rich!

Some people never fail to disappoint and yet they still get reelected over and over again.

There’s Taco Tuesday so why not Meat Ball Monday, Wasabi Wednesday, Tongue Thursday, Falafel Friday, Sauerkraut Saturday, and Snail Sunday?

Which way is clockwise on a digital watch? Can you be up in the dumps if the dumps are an upgrade? My cuckoo clock just went crazy and told the time in Tasmania!

I missed King Charles’ confirmation. Even though I lived in England for two years the closest I ever came to royalty was a box of Royal pudding mix.

The store’s checkout clerk had an English accent, so I ask where in England was she from. She said Scotland. Gasping, I apologized profusely because Scotland hates English rule and is fighting hard for its independence. I promised to buy a kilt from her next time.

Got a letter saying I didn’t pay for a bill I never got and to pay it now or they’ll report it. I called them and a woman apologized saying it was just a mistake. I asked if it was her fault. She said no, so I said that I couldn’t possibly accept her apology.

OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY

Robert delRosario, MD

Rose N. Eskin, MD

Courtney N. Knill, MD

Amanda L. Powell, DO

Scott M. Readence, MD

Thomas E. Wallin, MD

Caitlin M. Hawkins, CNM

Brianna M. Latovich, CNM

Lauren M. Vazquez, CNM

Jessica R. Clabaugh, CRNP

Danielle M. Neff, CRNP

Prudence L. Schuchart, CRNP

Jennifer A. Weaver, CRNP OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY

Lindsey J. Wegrzyniak, DO

Boosting “Good” Cholesterol Begins with Diet

Most of the time when we talk about cholesterol, we talk about trying to avoid the consequences associated with having high cholesterol. Our bodies need cholesterol to make hormones and build cells, but too much carries a risk of coronary artery disease. Cholesterol travels on proteins called lipoproteins to move throughout the body. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is what we typically refer to as our “bad” cholesterol which is known to build up on the walls of our blood vessels and cause problems. Whereas high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or “good” cholesterol can scoop up that undesirable cholesterol and return it to the liver where it can be removed from the body. Managing our cholesterol means not only working to keep our LDL lowered but working to increase our HDL levels.

Eating a healthy diet can help raise our HDL levels. The American Heart Association classifies men with < 40 mg/dL and women with < 50 mg/dL of HDL cholesterol as having low HDL cholesterol. Therefore, we should strive to be above this level with the common recommendations falling around 60 mg/dL as desirable. The focus should be on eating good or unsaturated fats, many of which contain omega-3 fatty acids. These foods include salmon or other fatty fish, flax seeds, nuts, avocado, and olive oil. The intake of saturated fats, found in fatty cuts of meats, cheeses, butter, deep-fried foods, and many processed

baked goods should be limited as they can increase LDL and lower HDL levels. Choosing whole grains, whole grain bread and pasta, oatmeal, beans, fruits, and vegetables can help increase our overall fiber intake. Research shows increasing dietary fiber intake increases HDL cholesterol. Not only that, but some types of fiber also reduce the amount of cholesterol we absorb from foods and help remove it from the body, which reduces our LDL cholesterol. Physical activity works quite the same as dietary change when it comes to the beneficial combination of both improving HDL and decreasing LDL levels. The research indicates that exercise helps increase the amount of HDL we produce and causes some other changes that may interfere with LDL’s ability to get into smaller blood vessels, reducing LDL levels. Aim for about 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day. If you are new to exercise, talk to your doctor first. You may find it more manageable to start with smaller amounts of time and add more slowly over the week before you tackle daily exercise.

Your doctor may test your blood and find that you are at risk and suggest some changes. Unfortunately for others, there are no warning

signs until a heart attack or stroke occurs. Whether you are being proactive or reactive, most individuals can make changes to help manage cholesterol through diet and lifestyle. We are often most successful when we pick small things to change and add in more changes as we create our new normal habits. If you feel overwhelmed tackling this yourself, ask your doctor for a referral to a dietitian.

Andrea Reed, MPS, RDN, LDN, is a freelance dietitian with a background in agricultural sciences. Growing up in the outdoors of Pennsylvania inspired her to include agricultural education in her nutrition counseling and is the focus of her writing. To find out more about Reed Nutrition visit https://reedrdn.com

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

THE FINAL SALUTE

by Michael James Kacey Illustration by Mya Grove

Honolulu is 2,558 miles from Los Angeles and 4,825 from Shamokin, PA. It is 8,073 miles from Shamokin to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. And 1944 is quite a distance, too.

On January 26, 2014, I fulfilled a promise to my mother. I told her that, if I ever found myself in Hawaii, I would pay my respects at the grave of her favorite uncle who died in Burma during World War II.

After years of planning and dreaming, my wife and I were finally on vacation in Hawaii. It was overcast that morning as we went to visit the memorial of the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor. A Navy launch takes you there, and you have about 20 minutes until the next group arrives and you must depart. It is a grave, you know. On another Sunday morning in December 1941, its ammunition magazines exploded from a Japanese bomber’s direct hit. One massive explosion. The blast destroyed the ship’s interior and 1,177 men lost their lives in an instant. The ship sank. It lies in that exact spot today. It is eerie to look into the water and see the remains of a battleship, a ladder that descends into the tomb, and to see small pools of oil on the water’s surface. Arizona went down fully loaded with fuel and it is still seeping to the surface.

Our next stop was not far from the Arizona: the USS Missouri. It is anchored at Pearl Harbor facing the USS Arizona. Since the Japanese signed the surrender treaty on its decks on September 2, 1945, it represents the end of the war. The Arizona, of course, represents the beginning. It was raining by the time we left the Mighty Mo. We still had one more stop.

Clutching a slip of paper and a clear Ziploc baggie, I hailed a taxicab and we went to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. It rests high on a hill overlooking Honolulu. Diamondhead, the famous volcanic peak, is

easily visible. We arrived at the main entrance, got out and went into the Visitor’s Center. No one was there as it was Sunday, but there were memorabilia on display and maps of the cemetery. Ernie Pyle was buried here. The famed journalist was killed in 1945 by a Japanese sniper during the Battle of Okinawa. A faint connection to my life; I had served 18 months on Okinawa while on active duty in the United States Army.

I unfolded the slip of paper. It read simply, “Section B, Grave 1200.” The cemetery was empty. It was misty and humid. The flag clung to the pole, as no air was moving. It was quiet except for the sound of birds. Sweet, beautiful sounds filling this vast open space.

One of 12 children born to John and Mary Clifford, Vincent G. Clifford was born on February 22, 1911 in the coal-mining city of Shamokin, Pennsylvania. Of all her aunts and uncles, my mother always remembered her Uncle Vincie as her favorite. He was of average build, about five-foot, nine inches tall, with a broad face, small mouth, strong jaw, and thick dark hair.

He was in uniform even before Pearl Harbor. As a U.S. Army Tech Sergeant (TEC5), he served in the all-volunteer 5307th Composite Unit, the unit known as Merrill’s Marauders. He received the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. Their mission, starting in India, was to trek through 62 miles of jungle, across the 6,600-foot Kumon Mountain range, through monsoons and hellish conditions, to engage the Japanese and seize the airfield of Myitkyina inside Burma. By the time the Battle of Myitkyina was over, only 200 of the original 2,997 Marauders were still present. Vincent Clifford was not among them.

My mother’s last memory of her Uncle Vince was sitting on his lap in the kitchen of the house she still lives in, watching her grandmother bring him strawberry Jell-O

with bananas. The next memory was the dreaded knock on the door and a telegram from Western Union listing him as missing in action. It was October 12, 1944. Vince had actually been missing since June 11th (the actual date of his death).

He was finally discovered and identified by his dog tags and buried in Burma on May 3, 1945 in a grave marked by a wooden cross. He was moved from Burma to India and reinterred on January 20, 1946, 77 miles from Calcutta.

They didn’t bring his body back to Shamokin, but the family held a memorial service for him. My mother, then 7 years old, remembers the eerie sensation when taps was played from the back of the church. On October 21, 1947, Vince was disinterred from India and sent to the Territory of Hawaii. On March 23, 1948, he was placed in a casket there and finally buried on February 7, 1949, at the newly established National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Section B, Grave 1200.

This is where I now stood on the rainy afternoon of January 26, 2014. I removed my hat, folded the scrap of paper with the grave location scratched on it, and placed it inside my pocket. Next, I opened the Ziploc baggie. It contained two surviving letters from Vincent Clifford to his mother Mary. Both are from 1942. I can’t exactly explain why I brought these letters with me except to say that I wanted to bring them for him, as if to let him know that he was never forgotten. One letter from Camp Maxey in Paris, Texas, contained the sentence “Right now it is raining so hard that one can see mud running down the ditch like it [does] down Arch Street from a good rain at home …” I knew exactly what he meant. It was the same house and street where I grew up. I, too, saw rain rushing along the curb. That single line connected with me. It was a shared experience. The letter also contained: “Some day [sic] I hope to meet them Japanese somewhere, but don’t you all worry, as I will

Serving all of Eastern and Central PA

be home when I can.” Both letters closed with “Lots of Love, Son Vincent.”

I laid the letters on top of his grave. Reading his handwriting as I stood there was strange, yet peaceful. I thought about how difficult it must have been for him to leave home to fight 8,000 miles away. I thought of my own five-year stint in the Army and became very thankful that I was never called to war, never asked to make the ultimate sacrifice. And yet I knew even then, as I know now, that was part of the job. That was part of the deal.

I adjusted my body into a position of attention. Arms at sides, shoulders back, eyes straight ahead. I raised my right arm, extended my hand with fingers firmly pressed together and touched them to my right eyebrow. I lowered my eyes to the grave marker, and I thought to myself and to my great uncle, “I offer this salute. You were never forgotten.”

I completed the salute—the first one I had performed since October 15, 1986, when I left US Central Command headquarters on the way to my car and into civilian life.

This salute held more meaning than any other.

It was my final salute.

Michael James Kacey is an actor, writer, and filmmaker. After many years in Los Angeles, Mike and his wife relocated to Harrisburg and couldn’t be happier. Mike acts on stage locally and is working on the documentary film “In The Public Interest,” exploring the unique story of radio in America.

State Museum, continued from Page 35

And the Stars in Their Mouths

By Sandra Fees

That was the summer the ginger mares lazed in the pasture past dusk resisting our urgings, their sleek backs turned to us, manes lifted, tails bowed in prayer. It would take three tries before their silky muzzles surrendered to our sugary bribes, before we guided their high-carried grace to these hushed, familiar stalls.

Once we left, they would nibble hay, guzzle water, becoming again, dreamers twitching their imagined wings. But for now, the sinewy smell of thunder, the cadence of downpour. And above us, another field of wilder horses that plume into constellations that know how to wait, that know to love this broken night.

(First published in The Dodge)

I pass a cemetery on my way to the doctor. And he passes on my test results. And people pass on all the time. There’s a message here somewhere.

At least dogs try to be good. People, not so much.

God forbid you push the wrong button on anything. Trying to get back what you lost then is like trying to thread a needle with a banana.

With McDonald’s closings and layoffs I guess the famous yellow arches have become the Fallen Arches during the Mc Woes.

I finally saw the writing on the wall, and it was in crayon.

“China has discovered water on the moon. A lot of it.” But that’s a long way to go for lunar bottled water. Next get up a search party for the man in the moon. He may know where the gold is buried when they mine the moon.

‘Down to Earth’ Barista Does Her Part to Benefit the Earth

Story by Randy Gross, rgross@harrisburgmagazine.com

Photos by Paul Vasiliades

It surely must not have been surprising to family and friends when Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School senior Reghan Little decided she wanted to enroll at the University of Delaware as a Marine Biology major. “I love every opportunity to get outside,” she says with a warm smile. “Even when I do my schoolwork, I like to be outside when doing it.”

With hiking, skateboarding, biking, walking, and running, among Little’s favorite outdoor activities, she relishes the idea of eventually transferring to UD’s Lewes campus. “It’s a dream,” she gushes, “because I’ll be able to live and study right on the beach.”

Equally unsurprising was Little’s choice for an afterschool job. Or perhaps it’s more

accurate to say that the job chose her. Down to Earth Café in Mechanicsburg is, appropriately, a business founded with equal parts passion for coffee and devotion to the environment, and owner Alex Rojohn’s commitment to sustainability is evident in everything from repurposed wood furniture to a reusable water station.

“All of our to-go cups are biodegradable, we reuse as many things as possible, and we recycle as much as possible,” says Little with pride. “I like how we’re one of the biggest businesses in the area that focuses on sustainability.”

It’s needless to say, Little truly enjoys reporting to work at Down to Earth, and a desire to protect the earth is one of her biggest reasons. But there’s more to it than that. “I

love all the regulars who come in, and I love meeting new customers,” she says. “One of my favorite spots to be on is the register, just because I’m able to make so many different connections with all the different customers, and I love seeing familiar faces come back in. There’s a lot of regulars I see who I know by name now. I love talking to them and getting to know them more. I’ve never encountered one rude customer!”

As Little efficiently and pleasantly mixed up two refreshing drinks for us on a hotter-thannormal April afternoon – an Iced Caramel Macchiato, and her own signature drink, The Reghan (recipe at the end of this article) – it was easy to see why her customers have always been pleasant in return.

Reghan’s Dossier

Words of advice to home coffee brewers. Try something new and get creative! You can use many objects, tools, and ingredients around the house to spice up your coffee game. Try making some cold brew in a French press or makeeasy homemade syrups. The possibilities are endless! There are also many different types of coffee such as pour overs, Turkish coffee, Moka pot, etc. that you can make in the comfort ofvour own home.

Is there anything – or anyone – who inspires you as a Barista?

Most definitely. Magic Brain Cafe located in Cape May, NJ, has had an everlasting impact on how I view coffee. They first sparked my love for coffee the summer of 7th grade, and they are like a second family to me when I go down and visit. They never fail to impress me with their goods and services, and I thank them greatly for introducing me to one of the greatest communities - the coffee community. I would also love to mention Alex and our team at Down to Earth. Alex has been such an inspiration to me ever since we became friends, and I could tell that his passion for coffee went below the surface. He made his biggest dream come true, and I couldn’t be

more proud of him. I am also so lucky to work with such an amazing team that is always pushing each other to be the best baristas we can be, and they are nothing but positive and supportive. Thank you all so much for giving me this amazing opportunity as a barista, you all hold a special place in my heart.

Favorite coffee or blend of coffee.

Honduran and Sumatra hold a tie for 1st place. I love the nuttiness and tones of caramel, chocolate, and vanilla in a cup of Honduran coffee. With Sumatra, I can’t get enough of the unique earthy yet spicy flavor profile. These are my go-to coffees when I brew coffee at my house or when I get a cup of drip coffee from any cafe or coffee shop.

Recommendations of two or three kinds of coffee to try.

Listed below are my 3 favorite drinks you can order:

Iced chai with mocha

Cold brew with maple syrup

Iced/hot matcha latte with lavender

Favorite coffee-fusion drink to mix. Dirty chai lattes are always so fun to make! You can always mix it up with a dirty chai latte, and this drink definitely sets itself apart from others because of its flavor and how many ways you’re able to customize it. It makes me so happy to see a drink ticket come through with a dirty chai latte on it. Next time you come into the shop be sure to try it!

Most commonly ordered drinks during your shift(s).

I would have to say without a doubt that caramel macchiatos, any espresso latte, and dirty chai lattes are the most commonly ordered drinks during my shifts (and for good reason). These drinks are all so tasty I’m not surprised that they’re the most popular!

Philosophy on coffee brewing and/or the enjoyment of coffee.

There is so much more than what meets the eye when you make a cup of coffee. The amount of brewing processes there are to make a single cup of coffee never fails to amaze me, and there is always such a unique outcome that the brewing processes produce. Some are more bold while some are more mellow, and there are some that are smoother than others. I find it so important to try out these different methods to find which coffee you like best and build your own flavor profile! Don’t forget to maintain the correct ratios for each brewing process and use fresh coffee beans for the best results. Enjoy the versatility of every cup of coffee.

Is Barista your day job? If not, what else do you do for a living?

Not only am I a barista, but I am a senior at Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School. This is the only job I hold outside of school, and I couldn’t be happier. We are able to work around my school schedule so I can come in and work as often as possible!

During a typical week, what days/shifts can you be found at Down to Earth Cafe? On the weekdays, you will definitely be able to find me during closing shifts. I typically work most Mondays and Tuesdays so there’s a good chance I’ll be there if you come in! You can also find me on almost every Saturday, normally after 9 am to close. I can’t wait to see you then!

Recipe for your signature (or favorite) coffee drink

“The Reghan”

1 16 oz cup filled with ice

8 oz hot brewed hibiscus berry tea

1 ½ pumps of both lavender syrup and simple syrup

Down to Earth Cafe is located at 100 Legacy Park Dr., Suite 108, Mechanicsburg. Online at www.downtoearthco.com

Summer party season is here and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate with you! From backyard birthday bashes and poolside graduation parties to intimate family reunions or company-wide picnic - there are so many reasons to celebrate this summer!

Experience stress-free planning and savor all the joys of summer this season with our team of knowledgeable event specialists, expert chefs, and creative floral and design innovators. At The JDK Group, we understand the importance of creating a memorable summer celebration without the hassle of planning and executing the event. Our f free to enjoy the warm weath

FROM THE MARGINS

TEACHABLE MOMENT

Lynne Reeder, American Literature & Creative Writing Teacher at West Perry High School, asked us to help create a teachable moment for the student staff of From the Margins literary arts magazine, and our staff was happy to lend a hand! Harrisburg Magazine graphic designer, Shane Carino, and photographer, Will Masters, visited the school on Friday, April 14th , presenting layout tips and fun activities for the young writers and journalists.

Yankee Doodle Family Restaurant

South of the Border and Yankee Home Cooking

Victor Perez, owner and chef of Yankee Doodle Restaurant, is living his American dream. In 2010 he purchased the former Riverview Restaurant and fulfilled his goal of being a restauranteur. Perez came to this country in 1987 from Mexico City and landed in New York City. He began working in a coffee shop in the city and worked with the owner, who was interested in sending him to Lancaster to open a new restaurant. He waited a year to take the offer and after going there learned how to cook authentic Pennsylvania Dutch food. He stayed on at the restaurant for 5 years and then moved to the Harrisburg area and worked at the West Shore Plaza, where he stayed for a few more years before heading back to NYC.

When he returned to NYC he worked for Alex Sgourdos, owner of the Tick Tock Diner, which is the largest diner in the city. “I appreciate so much the time and training that Alex gave me … I learned so much from him. In fact, all the Greek diners where I worked helped me so much with learning the business and being supportive of me. There are people I think of every day – Nick and Angie, Alex, George, Mr. Colas, and Crisostomos, they have all trained and supported me and taught me so many things. I have so much appreciation for all of them.” He then adds, “I have appreciation, too, for the wonderful customers that have supported me the entire time I have been open and also to my staff who are always by my side.

The name of Perez’s restaurant has a deep meaning for him. While in NYC and assisting in delivery of meals from a restaurant named Yankee Doodle Diner, the one place he went to always sang Yankee Doodle Dandy when he came in with the delivery. He decided that if he ever owned a restaurant, he would use the name Yankee Doodle because the meaning of the song was very important to him as a first-generation citizen.

When Perez came back to the Harrisburg area in 2002, he worked for Summit Family Restaurant near Lewisberry for a few years before buying the old Riverview Restaurant in Wormleysburg, No surprise, he named it Yankee Doodle Diner. When the location next door to the diner, which was the Drinkin Bone Bar and Restaurant, became available, Perez purchased that and enlarged the diner and renamed it Yankee Doodle Restaurant.

Perez divides his time between front of house and back so that he can meet and greet his customers. He says, “It is important for me to be able to talk with my customers and get to know them just as they get to know me. I appreciate them so much and I enjoy talking with them.”

Breakfast is served all day and the menu is extensive, coming in at about

Story by Christina Heintzelman Food photos submitted by Yankee Doodle Restaurant; other photos by Christina Heintzelman

6 pages, including a full page of various omelets - both American flavors and Mexican Fiesta omelets with specialty flavors. Next up are waffles, pancakes, and French toast in every conceivable combination. ‘Yankee Breakfasts’ are available with a variety of egg, meat, and toast variations, including sausage gravy and cream chipped beef. For the light breakfast there is fresh fruit, muffins, and oatmeal. Another page of breakfast quesadillas, enchiladas, fajitas, and tacos awaits your desire to try a new breakfast taste sensation. The Huevos Rancheros is a specialty and one of the most asked for items on the menu.

The restaurant is known for its Mexican meals as well as its ‘American cuisine’, which includes delicious Pennsylvania Dutch specialties. The breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus are all a balance of Mexican and local American dishes. Perez states, “It is just fine to mix the two if people want to try a taste of both cuisines. People realize that you can have chicken and waffles with a side of rice and beans or tacos served with coleslaw or French fries. I have worked hard to build a unique menu. We like keeping our customers happy.” If for some reason you don’t see something you want on the regular menu, there are always quite a few weekly specials. The dessert menu has regular items and weekly specials too.

The menu is very extensive but as Perez points out, “So many different dishes can be made from the same basic ingredient. For example, I can use chicken for my chicken pot pie, chicken and waffles, chicken tacos, chicken fajitas and much more.” Perez also points out that, to suit local palates, the Mexican dishes are prepared with a mild spice, but there are two types of hot sauce that are available on every table for a spicier version of your meal.

Yankee Doodle Restaurant has a liquor license serving a large selection of bottled beer, wine, and classic cocktails with any meal. A mimosa with breakfast – sure! Dos Equis with your tacos – why not? A cabernet or martini with dinner – they have you covered.

Yankee Doodle Restaurant is located at 860 N Front St, Wormleysburg and is open Monday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Sunday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Find them on Facebook atYankee

Doodle Family Restaurant. Pick up and delivery are available from Door Dash and Grub Hub.

Spice up your Life with Kimchee!

Joyce Park Williams, Kimchee Girl

Story by Christina Heintzelman

Kimchee, spelled kimchi or kimuchi in Japanese variants of the Korean name, may not be something that pops into your mind as a year-round breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack dish. It can be a main dish or banchan, the Korean word for a side dish. It is pungent and contains the flavor profiles of sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami with a crunchy texture and more probiotics, betacarotene, and other antioxidant compounds than imaginable. It is said that this threethousand-year-old food will boost immune health, help lower cholesterol and blood pressure, reduce inflammation, and word has it that it may also be an anti-aging food. This amazing, healthy, and pungently tasty treat is available right here in South Central PA, both in person at the new Fresh Market at Hershey Towne Square, Hershey, and online through the Kimchee Girl website. It is also available in

various stores in the area.

Joyce Park Williams, CEO and Founder of Kimchee Girl, opened her stand at the market on September 1, 2022, the opening day for the Fresh Market at Hershey Towne Square. It is in the beautiful stone building which historically housed the Hershey Abattoir, where livestock was slaughtered, processed, and sold. Later, it was home to the Hershey Post Office.

Park Williams sells three types of kimchee at her stand, Korean radish (daikon) kimchee, Napa Valley cabbage kimchee, and a seasonal cucumber kimchee. All are vegan and gluten free products with no fish additives. She explains that kimchee is a traditional Korean dish made from various salted vegetables, a wide variety of spices including spring onions, garlic, ginger, and gochugaru (Korean chili powder). “My mixture and fermenting time are a family secret that assures a genuine

Korean flavor. This is the original recipe that my mother and father made for years both in Korea and when they immigrated to the U.S. and settled in New Cumberland,” she states.

In addition to the kimchee, there is a varied menu of foods at the market stand: a bonein pork chop meal; Kalbi beef short ribs; Bulgogi, also known as Korean BBQ beef, all served with her signature sticky white rice and a side of kimchee; a kimchee hot dog; and a Korean burrito. A special treat is Kimchee Girl Breakfast, a sunny-side-up egg, toasted artisan bread with kimchee butter and 2 slices of gochujang bacon. Gochujang is a sauce or paste with a spicy, funky, salty, and savory taste that is not quite as hot as sriracha. Other specials are added to the menu on a weekly basis. Many of the specials are fusion foods that are created to satisfy the American palate, such as a Korean hamburger.

Kevin Williams, Park Williams’ husband, assists her in many different aspects of the business and says, “I do whatever Joyce tells me to do.” He added that, although the kimchee is now being made in a shared commercial kitchen located in Camp Hill, a new production site of approximately 2,300 square feet is underway in Mechanicsburg.

Park Williams says that her personal making of her mother’s kimchee happened after she lost her mother to cancer eleven years ago. She realized that the recipe might be lost if she did not get it from her father. “When my family immigrated to this country, they brought all the seeds here so that they could continue to make kimchee from scratch as they had always done in Korea. We were poor so this was important for us. We dug up the garden, planted, cared for it, harvested, and prepared all our vegetables and spices to make hundreds and hundreds of pounds of kimchee.” Both of

Photos by Will Masters

her parents worked full time jobs in addition to the small farm garden and the making of kimchee. She states, “My father told me that he never got to see the moon or the stars because he worked so many hours.” She adds that, although in Korea it is customary to keep your kimchee buried in a clay container in the back yard, her family wanted to be American and bought a refrigerator just for the storage of their kimchee. Because of the pungency of the kimchee and other Korean foods, the refrigerator was kept in the garage. The story of Park Williams learning how to make kimchee from the instructions of her father will ring true to all of those who were raised in a family where cooking happened with ‘a pinch of this and a dash of that.’ She says, “Even if you have the list of all the ingredients, you may never have the exact measurements, and it really doesn’t help when you are told to ‘just taste it’ to see if it is right.” She goes on to say that she finally asked her eighty-four-year-old father to assist in

showing her how to make the exact recipe that was part of her family. “We ended up making hundreds and hundreds of pounds because I had to chase my dad around so that when he freehanded a particular ingredient into the mix I would be following close behind with measuring cups and spoons to try to grab it

from him and measure before he put it in the kimchee.” She states that her husband also video-taped the procedure many times over to get an accurate account of the exact steps used in the kimchee production. “We had so much kimchee, even after giving it to friends and family, I had to take all my food out of the refrigerator at home, out of my small beer refrigerator, and my husband had to empty his employee refrigerator at his business; we filled them all with kimchee. Friends started taking photos of this and posting it to social media and before long people wanted to know if I sold my kimchee. I looked at my two-anda-half refrigerators filled with kimchee and said, ’Yes, I guess so.’”

It was at this point that the neighborhood was having a yard sale and her friends suggested that she sell her kimchee at the yard sale along with her Korean BBQ, which is one of her specialties. “Who buys kimchee at a yard sale?,” she recalls. “But I realized that I would need to sell my kimchee quickly because, even though it is kept refrigerated, it still ferments and the American palate prefers kimchee that is only a few months old, so I agreed to set up a kimchee and Korean BBQ stand,” she laughingly says. The day of the yard sale, it poured rain and Park Williams needed to move her cars from the garage and use the garage as her booth. “By about 11 a.m. my neighbor came over and said she was so disappointed because she had only made about five dollars, and she was going to close her stand at that point. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I had already made six-hundred dollars. My husband said, ‘You’ve got something with this.’ It took us about six months to get everything together with permits and licenses, and the commercial kitchen.” Her business was born! This month, which is also AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islanders) month here in the U.S., See Kimchee Girl on Page 36

she will have been in business for two years, starting first with pop-ups, then her website, and finally building up to a permanent stand at the Fresh Market.

The first of the Park family to come to the U.S. was Park Williams’ aunt. She came to this country as a Korean War bride. The man that Park Williams’ aunt married was an American G.I. from New Cumberland and that is how their Korean family began to settle in this area. “My aunt wrote to my parents in Korea and told them to come here, that life was better and easier, so in 1971 my father who was a farmer in Korea came over and took whatever menial jobs he could find. He worked endlessly and, by 1972, he had saved enough money to buy a house in New Cumberland and send for the family. In 1972, my mother and my siblings came to this country. My mother’s passport shows her and my four siblings surrounding her. I was born later in 1973. I am the only one of the siblings born in this country and born in a hospital - and not delivered by my parents. I am also the only one without a Korean name as my family wanted to ‘be American.’ My family sold everything, including their wedding bands, to have the money to move here,” she states. In later years, the siblings replaced their parents’ wedding bands and her father, by that time, had saved enough money to buy his wife a diamond ring. Their immigration story is one of success that was driven by dawn-to-dusk hard work.

In addition to Park Williams’ mother losing her life to cancer, Park Williams herself is a cancer survivor. “I was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer and struggled for years

with my cancer diagnosis and didn’t work because of the various surgical side effects I suffered with. Ultimately, I ended up with a second diagnosis of pre-uterine cancer that was caused by one of my medicines. I was deeply in debt because of this.” But now Park Williams has built a viable business which she says was only possible because of the support of so many people around her. She gives back to the community, donating a percentage of all her sales to cancer victims and their families. Even before Kimchee Girl, she and her husband started a toy drive during the holiday season for children of cancer patients and gift giving to adult cancer patients. “This has been so successful that one year we had to rent a Penske van in order to deliver the gifts.”

Perhaps Park Williams’ kimchee can be viewed as gastrodiplomacy between American culture and South Korean culture, using food as a common denominator, exerting a soft type of diplomacy on our emotional connections to food and the people connected to this food: a ujeong (friendship) and understanding through the eating of food. Thank you, Kimchee Girl, for bringing us closer to cultural understanding of the AAPI community!

For more information about Kimchee Girl, the kimchee purchasing website is https:// kimcheegirl.com; and the website for her menu and other information regarding her stand at Fresh Market is https://kimcheegirlhershey. com. Find her on Facebook at Kimchee Girl Mechanicsburg, and on Instagram @ thekimcheegirl. The Fresh Market is located at 121 Hershey Towne Square Drive and is open Thursday through Saturday.

Kimchee Girl continued from page 51

THE BOUNTY OF ADAMS COUNTY AWAITS!

There are two flavorful ways to explore the bounty of picturesque Adams County, home to historic Gettysburg, PA. First, savor locally crafted beers, wines, ciders, mead, and spirits along our popular Adams County Pour Tour Then take a scenic outing through the region’s many working farms and orchards on the Adams County Crop Hop, our farm and market trail. The more places you visit, the more prizes you can win!

Pamela J Black

Finding a sense of balance between chaos and control through meditative and intuitive abstract art

From her artistic beginnings working in portraiture and realism, Pamela J. Black has changed course to become a noted artist using her interpretive and intuitive process to create abstract works that are authentic and personal while bringing order back to the composition itself. In her artist statement, she says, “Ultimately, my creative process is fueled by a need to find a sense of balance between chaos and control.” She goes on to say that art is the one constant that she turns to in her life when she needs to express herself.

Black, who holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Kutztown University, began her art journey experimenting in various mediums while trying to decide between drawing and painting. It was during a trip to Italy in her Junior year that she realized she was destined to concentrate on painting. “At that point I was working in oils and watercolors. I didn’t move to acrylics until later in my career,” she says.

During her college years, the first show she applied to was Art of the State at the Harrisburg State Museum. She was accepted for the 2007 exhibit. “Back in 2007, there was no social media; artists created slides for submissions into juried exhibits, and it was difficult to get your work out into the public. I created a website but back then who was really looking at websites? It was difficult to find an audience,” she says. She was still living at home at that point and had a job totally unrelated to the arts but taught a few art classes at Carlisle Arts and Learning Center (CALC) and worked for the Art House Lounge, which had then just opened on 2nd Street in Harrisburg. She also had a gallery space at Studio 13 in Mechanicsburg.

“Trying to be a full-time artist was just not

working out for me, so I went back to school and received a master’s in education degree and was immediately hired as the art teacher for grades K-3 for the Central York School System.” She did this for five years, putting her own creativity on the back burner while she worked with children, moving them forward in their creativity.

In 2015, when she had her first child, a daughter, she made the decision to retire from teaching and become a full-time mom. For her artistic outlet she opened an Etsy shop, painting pet portraits, family portraits, and house portraits. All these creations were done in watercolor and ink. “I was super successful and doing what I love but I wasn’t connecting with my buyers, viewers, or other artists. This was my first step to becoming a professional artist and I did it for two years before becoming totally burned out.” She was experimenting with her abstract art at that time and in 2017, after the birth of her second child, a son, she began creating a body of abstract work and started applying to enter art shows again. “It brought back my passion for art and in 2019 I moved into The Millworks in an upstairs studio. This filled the need for a sense of artistic community which I was longing for.”

Black enjoys working in mural art and has created a large mural on two walls of Wild Rabbit Pies & Pints, a new eatery serving food and ‘pints’ from Ever Grain Brewing Company. The restaurant is in New Cumberland. Other mural works by Black also adorn the staircase and a hallway of Source the Space, another New Cumberland business that has exhibition, photography, and performance space available for rent.

In addition to her successful commissionsbased business, another venture that Black has is a collaboration with shoe designer

Story by Christina Heintzelman Photos submitted by the artist.

Michael Grey, to create an artists’ series of Birkenstocks that he makes. There are three of Black’s paintings available as designs for the sandals. These are made to order, and each pair is one of a kind. Information on this is supplied at the end of this article.

Going from the tight work necessary for portraiture to a much freer approach to the canvas through a meditative and intuitive style required her change from oils to acrylics, often using water to layer an area or water down another area to create a droplet effect of swirling colors.

“I always carry a notebook while walking or traveling so I can make notes on what I am experiencing or what I see. I often take photos so I can remember the exact color palate of something that caught my eye.” She adds that music is very important to her creative process: “It’s always blasting when I’m painting, mostly I listen to Indie Rock.” She laughingly adds, “I was raised by Deadheads, so this is natural for me.”

Art has been a catharsis for Black, first during a period when she experienced three miscarriages before giving birth to her son, and now as she works her way through her father’s recent diagnosis of stage four lung cancer. “My work has become very emotional and sometimes angry in nature as I work through this process. I’m even using images from dad’s lung scans, trying to turn that dark feeling into a cathartic moment.”

Black’s art consistently is exhibited by local and regional galleries and graced the cover of The Burg magazine in 2022. Also, in 2022 Black held a solo exhibition at CALC titled Art and Motherhood. This exhibit was artwork she had created along with artwork she collaborated on with her two young children, working back and forth to create each painting. Her children were instrumental in helping title their pieces of art.

Black closes by saying, “Next year my youngest will be off to school, so I want to do more art classes and workshops and open my large home studio for pop-up shows featuring works by other artists.”

Read more about Black at her website www.pamelajblack.com ; on Facebook at pamelajblackart ; and Instagram @ pamelajblackart. She is a resident artist at the Millworks in studio #104. Her Birkenstocks are available from the website mgsandalfactory. com/collections/pamela-black.

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