The Hotel Lancaster: Community-Focused Hospitality
Jen Baker: Making Lancaster Eventful
For over 20 years, SAAarchitects has taken a collaborative approach to design that begins with listening and ends with a project created to please the eyes and perform beyond expectations. Contact us today to start designing, collaborating, and building the projects of your dreams.
EDITORIAL
This magazine was created to give you an inside perspective of some incredible individuals and businesses who work behind the scenes in Lancaster, bringing ideas to life around our great city. It is their drive that helps drive our city every day.
Editor-in-Chief
Inside Lancaster
Owned by Digital Storm Publishing (A division of Alpha Dog Advertising)
Inside Lancaster is a new publication designed to recognize and celebrate the great efforts of local entrepreneurs and people within our community, while providing readers with a deep, personal perspective into their lives and their work.
No one can deny the energy and entrepreneurial spirit that is alive, thriving, and growing within Lancaster right now. From a bustling colonial village centuries ago, to a model twenty-first century city, Lancaster offers plenty to do and lots of interesting people to meet, and we wanted to profile a select few of these individuals for you.
The people and businesses highlighted in this issue each uniquely contribute to Lancaster’s continued growth and prosperity. We hope you enjoy learning more about them, and that you find their ideas interesting, inspirational, and motivational within your own lives, just as we did.
The view better from is always INSIDE
CRAIG TROUT - Founder & Managing Director
LINDSEY HEIM - Editor-in-Chief & Project Manager
CATLIN WILLIAMS - Lead Photographer & Project Manager
While LA is the hot spot for art and entertainment on the West Coast, a smaller, more familiar city is emerging locally with a similarly-inspired energy and enthusiasm. Skim any ‘top ten small town’ lists from the past 12 months and chances are that one of America’s oldest inland towns, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has made the cut. The current growth and success of Lancaster has earned it some very well-deserved spotlight, the focus of which is centered around Lancaster’s trendy and diverse community. It is easy to see that the city is abuzz with a healthy mix of baby boomers and millennials. This blend has come together to create a truly multi-generational melting pot of the 21st century, full of culture and ambition.
Looking around Lancaster, it is easy to see new developments occurring all the time. Between city restoration projects and new construction, an incredible transformation has taken place over the last few years. Each new business that arrives serves as a critical component to the larger picture which illustrates Lancaster as both stronger and more vibrant — and this flourishing, lively energy can be felt throughout the city constantly.
Local restaurants provide diverse menus for even the most adventurous palates and offer samplings from across the globe. Dining at Aussie and the Fox offers visitors authentic, savory Australian meals and plush orange couches, while Federal Taphouse provides 100 specialty-brewed beers for guests to choose from. Surrounding the many incredible restaurants downtown are stunning hotels such as The Hotel Lancaster, Lancaster Arts Hotel and Marriott, which house curious tourists and out-of-town visitors, helping to stimulate the growing economy even further.
Those in search of entertainment can catch a broadway-style show at American Music Theatre or The Fulton Opera House, or quietly peruse one-of-a-kind local art on Gallery Row. They can find the freshest local produce for their shopping lists at the 275 year-old Lancaster Central Market building, situated in the heart of downtown, where the friendly smiles and energetic vivacity of locals are always contagious.
As bigger and better things continue to come into town, the regional ambitions of the residents also constantly rise, creating a united energy which continually drives to make Lancaster superior to what it was the day before. The people who live here are proud of their city, and due to the collective efforts of these proud, passionate, and driven individuals, a renaissance is happening in Lancaster every day.
As we watch our surroundings continue to evolve, it becomes evident that the future possibilities of this prospering city are endless. On a smaller scale, (and with its own unique style and spirit), Lancaster is our very own LA of PA.
make 717 LANCASTER’S FIRST MAKERS SPACE
Creative Community Collaboration
Local entrepreneurs and passionate lifelong learners Ben Eisemann, Owen Blevins, Phil Oles, Bruce Schreiner, Donald Dagen and Nancy Mata are bringing something quite revolutionary to Lancaster that has never been done in the county before. They are creating a makers space named make717, which will encourage locals to collaboratively learn and educate, have fun, and create meaningful projects using provided tools. The overall focus of the group is to provide an environment that cultivates hands-on learning to all ages, and covers a variety of interests, including science, engineering, mechanics, technology, and art. The shared space, an Innovation Center allowing for big dreams and notable inventions, is set to be completed this fall.
The building is located at Thaddeus Stevens College’s branch campus: 1100 East Orange Street in Lancaster. It will offer visitors education and guidance in 3-D Printing, General Tool, Machine Tool, Electronics Engineering, CAD Drafting, and Design Thinking. The offerings will be for seasoned veterans of the trades, as well as for complete beginners, and for a broad variety of age groups, from middle school through retirees.
“We’re taking the idea of learning and putting it into a hobbiest light — providing people with the chance to take ideas and make something out of them, or take something that someone has already made and add to it,” explained Bruce Schreiner, a professor of Electronic Engineering Technology at Thaddeus Stevens and make717 partner.
“You can tell someone how something works and they may partially grasp the concept, but if you let them try it for themselves they will really learn,” he continued.
The endeavor is strongly communityfocused. They want to create innovators and entrepreneurs, and provide personal growth for members as well as economic and therapeutic benefits.
“Many of the skills we are offering here have a high cost of entry to get involved with in the ‘real world,’” explained Nancy Mata, a professor at Millersville University, and make717 member.
“A CREATIVE COMMUNITY, PROVIDING SHARED TOOLS AND SPACE TO EDUCATE & CONNECT”
717
“That cost prevents people from trying out things that peak their interests. This space gets around that issue and allows people to test out things and see if they are a good fit for them. They can investigate their interests at a much lower cost. We hope to provide open doors for every individual who wants to be here, regardless of their income level,” she elaborated. Part of Nancy’s personal mission, being the lone female partner, is also making sure the space is femalefriendly to encourage more women in technical professions.
A community-centered project that the group is currently working on comes through their partnership with Lancaster’s Common Wheel program. The program’s mission is to encourage bicycling around town, and provide bicycle access for those without it. For this combined project, the makers are using a bike concept to create a portable makerspace. The concept will be presented during a first Friday event downtown, and hopes to attract the attention of engineer-minded adults and kids alike.
“We can reach younger people and spark their creativity and innovation,” explains partner Phil Oles, who spent the latter part of his prior career in education at Millersville University, Lebanon Valley College, York College, and Penn State York.
“make717 is part of a growing national movement that is filling a need where our schools can’t or don’t have the ability to identify and nurture,” explained partner Owen Blevins.
Another large focus for the organization is to ensure the longevity of their offerings.
“We want to really develop things, and make sure that they stay around for the long term for everyone interested,” explained Donald Dagen, another partner who also instructs at Thaddeus Stevens College.
“We want this to provide more social enterprise for Lancaster, and a place for interaction of locals and visitors. We want people to discover their passions here and foster their creativity,” he continued.
Partner Ben Eisemann elaborated on what initially drew him to the organization when he was exploring 3-D printing technology, indicating that paying a monthly membership and going to a space that has all kinds of equipment so that he could create something was incredible to him, and each of the make717 members are hoping the local community feels the same way.
With their deeply community-focused interests and initiatives, the group is destined to create some great things. If you are a creative, innovative thinker, the make717 crew wants to hear from you! Visit their website to contact them, and to learn more: make717.org.
GRoadside Growing
Meck’s Produce expands the roadside stand on their family property, providing more farm-fresh options for Lancaster locals.
Great news for everyone who likes to buy fresh, home-grown produce at Central Market...
The ever-popular Meck’s Produce stand, owned by Robert Meck and sons Ryan and Rob, is now expanding to a second location. Hard working farmers by nature, the family is set to open a large Farm Market on their property at 1955 Beaver Valley Pike in Strasburg, offering year-round farm-fresh options. The new venture, forecast to open its doors at the end of June, will be focused on local products, offering authentic Lancaster County milk, eggs, baked goods, and grass-fed beef along with produce grown directly on the property’s accompanying 65-acre farm.
“We wanted to provide a year-round store on the property, but didn’t want to lose the great feel of an authentic roadside stand,”
explained son Rob Meck. And their new facility certainly features the best of both worlds — a large roadside stand combined with a year-round indoor store for dedicated shoppers.
The outdoor area will close seasonally, January to March, while the indoor retail area will remain open. A unique feature of the property is its greenhouse, an intelligently designed facility where the family uses hydroponics to grow clean, eco-friendly lettuce and herb mixes. The process takes incredible care and attention, and requires seeding, transplanting, growing, and harvesting, which the family has become experts at providing.
Produce grown in this environment is protected from bugs, animals, and weather, and is able to be grown chemically-free. A sneak peek into the inner-workings of the system shows a no-soil, water-only growing method. The technology controlling the process continuously recycles the water, using only 10% of the amount that traditional growing methods require.
Freshfood
A sneak peek into the hydroponics greenhouse, which features a variety of mixed greens and herbs that grow and flourish year-round.
Plant roots pull their nutrients directly from the flowing water, while equipment in the greenhouse constantly monitors and measures nutrient levels in the recycled water. It then adds only the necessary nutrients back into the water with each cycle.
Between overseeing this process and growing additional produce in their fields, the Meck family works hard year-round. This dedicated effort is simply a way of life for the brothers, who grew up with many of the same responsibilities they share to this day. Now, as their own families grow, they proudly watch their wives and children become involved in the multigenerational family business and heartfelt venture.
“We try to do a little of everything here and we’re always learning,”
Rob Meck explains humbly.
“It’s important for people to know where their produce is coming from, and we recognize this.
That’s why we aren’t just resellers — we put in the time and effort to grow things and to support other local small businesses, — and this is what we attribute to our success.”
The new Farm Market is sure to be yet another successful family endeavor for the Mecks. It will offer customers 3,000 square feet of retail space filled with a wide variety of local products to choose from. Their stand at Lancaster Central Market, which initially opened in the 1960’s, will remain open for shoppers, offering Lancastrians two fantastic opportunities to purchase produce that is farm-fresh and handled with the utmost care.
Just as we created Inside Lancaster to provide readers with an inside look into our exceptional town, we wanted to give readers a sneak peek inside the place we at Alpha Dog Advertising fondly refer to as ‘The Doghouse.’
INSIDEDOGHOUSE HO IDE THE LEADING BRANDS TO
BETTER REVENUE
trolling down Gallery Row in Downtown Lancaster, and observing the beautiful artwork in each window, you will come to one building which isn’t quite like the rest. At first glance, you may think that what sets it apart from its neighboring galleries is the large orange ‘ONE50’ painted across the brick exterior. Upon closer inspection, however, you would find that what truly differentiates it is what lies behind its brick facade. Unlike its many gallery neighbors,
Alpha Dog Advertising is a strategic positioning and brand-building firm which provides marketing expertise for mid-to-large sized organizations.
When people first discover us, we often get questions about our unique name. After years of experience in the marketing and advertising world, agency owner Craig Trout decided it was time to build his own brand. From the start, Craig knew he wanted to build an agency that served as a trusted partner and faithful companion to its clients. As a lifelong dog owner,
Craig knew that the attributes he was looking to provide were those of a man’s best friend: a dog. Furthermore, just as our name suggests, we work to position our clients as ‘alpha dogs’ in their respective industries, and, in doing so, to position ourselves as ‘alpha dogs’ in the marketing world as well.
Since opening our doors in 2009, our company has flourished into a full-service agency that leads brands throughout Lancaster and the U.S. to better revenue. Over the years, we have worked with countless national and local clients to develop their points of difference and assist them in communicating these important points to their target audiences in engaging ways. Through our collaboration and partnerships with Lancaster businesses, local events, and non-profits, we are proud to lend our national-level marketing strategies to help Lancaster grow, one thriving business at a time.
“Problems cannot be solved by using the same level of thinking that created them”
THE effect Alpha
Recently, we had the pleasure of working with Lancaster-based American Music Theatre. Our job was to handle the public relations for their 2015 original show, Inspire. This campaign allowed us to connect with contacts up and down the East Coast and encourage them to visit Lancaster County, head to the show Inspire, and explore our great town while here.
Assignments like this make the work we do very rewarding because we can genuinely promote our home town. This excitement came across to the people we reached out to, leading to a successful public relations campaign.
Lancaster is easy for us to love. We love the philanthropic movements that are thriving across the county. We love the beauty, which offers a mix of city flavor and country charm, and the eclectic mix of local residents.
We love our office location in the heart of Downtown Lancaster — amidst all of the creative energy of Gallery Row. Last but certainly not least, we love the relationships that we have developed with our local clients, because there is something very special about promoting your home
At Alpha Dog Advertising, we feel that at the end of the day, organizations depend on quality marketing strategies and tactics for one main reason:
to increase their revenue opportunities.
And so this remains our goal for all clients. After all, when they thrive, our community and economy thrive too.
Dream Big
We’ll sweat the details.
With Heck Construction by your side, there’s nothing holding back your creativity. We keep an eye on all the details of your building project — allowing you the freedom to design or expand with confidence.
DESIGN BUILD | NEW CONSTRUCTION | RENOVATIONS | ADDITIONS
THE PHOTOGRAPHIC GENIUS OF
ELENA JASIC The Photographic Genius Of
As she sits across the table over popcorn and beers wearing mostly black, Elena Jasi ć ’s piercing blue eyes and broad smile speak volumes. Discussing her fashion photography makes her almost light up from the inside out. The passionately dedicated 25-year-old maintains an air of maturity combined with refreshing openness. A Serbian-born, Lancaster-County settled, entirely self-taught fashion photographer, she has transcended the market and has brought her fresh, new images to magazines and publications worldwide.
Fortunately for the many people moved by her photographs, Elena is a workaholic. She is driven by an insatiable desire to do more — and is never satisfied, but rather continually striving to reinvent the way beauty is identified and understood. Fortunately for me, this dedicated, strong woman is absolutely inspirational to interview.
I feel like if something isn’t challenging, it’s not entertaining. I’m never satisfied.
When did your love for photography start and what initiated it?
My mother always had a camera in hand, so photography has been a part of my life from a very young age. As a child, I loved looking through her images. As my curiosity grew, she started to teach me the basic rules of photography. I fell in love with the process of learning new skills and techniques on my own.
You are Serbian-born. Are there aspects of Serbian culture that you feel influence your work?
Absolutely. When you live in a wartorn country, you experience such serious situations at such a young age that they are bound to have a big influence on the way you see the world. I have always felt like I could relate more to people who were older then me.
How do you come up with new concepts for photos?
The concepts I photograph emerge from things that I am attracted to. They have everything to do with my state of mind at the time and what I am feeling. Sometimes all it takes is seeing the right color, light, or fabric. Other times, my inspiration is much more abstract.
If you had to put them into words, how would you describe the message(s) you would like your photography to convey?
There is no specific message. It’s interpretive. I want each viewer to decide on their own what my piece means to them and what feelings it evokes, whether good or bad.
When you are not taking photos, what else makes you smile?
I smile every day because I have the opportunity to do what I love. I am able to dedicate myself entirely to my craft, and that feeling is euphoric.
What is the most delicious thing you have ever eaten?
The most recent memorable food I’ve had is a Banh Mi sandwich with pork and paté from a place called Dinosaur in San Francisco. After the first bite, I was committed. Halfway through I knew I wanted to marry it. It was absolutely perfect. After I had professed my love, I ordered another one. I hopped back into the car and headed toward Big Sur. Once I arrived at my perfect vista point I got out of the car with my Banh Mi and fell in love all over again.
Out of all of the photography you have done to date, what is your favorite piece and why?
I really cannot pick my favorite. They are all my children and I love them equally. I am proud of each and every one.
If you could photograph anyone (dead or alive) anywhere in the world, who would you choose and where would you photograph them?
I don’t think there is one specific person I can choose. Personally, I am intrigued by models who have the capability of transforming and becoming someone else within their photos.
You have said that the vision behind your photography is minimal and provocative. What makes these characteristics appeal to you?
I think minimalism gives people the opportunity to concentrate on one object without distractions. Minimalism makes me feel like everything has its place and purpose. Each object can be thought about in extensive detail. I don’t set out to make provocative imagery ahead of time. It is something that I am naturally drawn to. I love creating images that confront people with ideas and feelings that are outside of the norm.
What do you love about Lancaster?
Lancaster is a unique community; one that stands out from the rest of Pennsylvania. It has class like any metropolitan city, but also a sense of quaintness. Lancaster is filled with beautiful architecture, art, and one of the best farmers markets in the country. There is a sense of pride and ownership — and that’s what makes it great.
What advice would you give an aspiring photographer?
Keep an open mind and don’t ever stop pushing yourself to learn new skills. Never get too comfortable. Being uncomfortable is an important part of becoming a well-rounded artist.
There is no doubt that Elena’s fresh perspective on beauty and fashion is a powerful one. She transcends standards and stereotypes with each new piece she creates. There’s a sense of awe the first time you see her work, and that’s what Elena strives for: a reaction — of any kind. Absorbing her level of passion and dedication to her work, as well as her perfectionism and desire to continually push her knowledge and capabilities, it becomes easy to see that her photographic journey is only just beginning. Those lucky enough to know her work and follow her journey are in for a great ride.
elena@elenajasic.com
www.youtube.com/elenajasic www.elenajasic.com
Hiring–forward:
moving your business ahead by finding the perfect employee.
Talent Tap is dedicated to searching through the crowds to bring you the best job candidates for your company’s future success. Specializing in technology, creative and sales – we can shorten the time needed to qualify, verify, and hire the right candidate for your organization’s culture.
Retained Recruiting
Contract Staffing
Custom Solutions
F&M Phillips Museum of Art
PicAsso for the PeoPle
Appreciate art and aspire to lifelong learning? The Phillips Museum of Art, tucked within the Steinman College Center on Franklin & Marshall’s campus, is an absolute must-see. This inspirational hidden art gem hopes to serve as a bridge to informal learning that spans not only the college campus, but the greater Lancaster community. It proudly offers exhibitions designed to explore and illuminate our common experiences through images and objects, including select pieces from Picasso, Warhol, Cézanne, Matisse, Renoir, Dalí and more.
The variety of art the museum showcases ranges from Lancaster County decorative works, a stunning fine art collection, several ethnographic collections, to contemporary and multicultural materials. As an academic museum, The Phillips Museum is able to house the works of student artists alongside their current art collections.
As an extension of F&M classroom courses and independent student research, The Phillips Museum provides valuable hands-on interaction and object-based learning opportunities for professors, students, and local visitors. Additionally, as those employed at the museum know well, it seeks to build connections among, enlighten, and inspire the people of Lancaster.
Phillips provides valuable hands-on interaction and object-based learning opportunities to professors, students, and local visitors.
Currently, the museum is undergoing an extensive collections inventory, aimed at providing greater access to many of the items in their expansive collection for community visitors. Through this vast undertaking, staff Lindsay Marino, Brittany Baksa, and Maddie Fye hope to create increased learning opportunities, inspire additional community outreach, and preserve pieces of significant historical relevance.
Attaining a thorough inventory will require patient and systematic review of each filled vault, one shelf at a time. During this inventory, every piece within the vast collection will be examined and processed. Description, mediums, artists, titles, dates, measurements, and locations—among other things—will be documented on eHive ( ehive.com/account/4405 ), a website dedicated to showcasing the museum’s entire collection. Additionally, as part of this process, staff will rehouse the works to ensure that all are being properly preserved.
The ongoing goal of this beautiful facility is to share their collections and create an open resource for everyone. By making the art collection available online, they hope to open it to scholars and curators, as well as anyone who might want to view the impressive collection they have acquired over the years. The museum is closed during summers, but opens its doors each academic year, offering an incredible opportunity for anyone lucky enough to walk in.
For more information on Franklin & Marshall College’s Phillips Museum of Art, please visit fandm.edu/phillipsmuseum and fandm.edu/phillips-museum/teaching-learning
the hotel lANcAster
A COMMUNITY-FOCUSED HOSPITALITY BUSINESS
When you think of the most endlessly dedicated people and behindthe-scenes effort happening for the betterment of Lancaster County, those who helped to re-envision and re-design the building now housing The Hotel Lancaster are certainly top contenders.
John Meeder and Sam Wilsker of Meeder Development Corporation and Lori Herr and John Thomas of The Hotel Lancaster have each worked on their own pieces of this heartfelt project with around-theclock, unmatched intensity from the very beginning. John M. and Sam handled the development side of things, while John T. and Lori took careful charge of hotel operations. Today, their endeavors continue as the hotel thrives and expands.
The building, a truly historical local landmark where Abraham Lincoln himself once stood to address Lancastrians, proudly re-opened its doors on November 1st, 2013 and has since impressed visitors and locals alike. What is even more impressive, however, is the level of effort that went on to transform and restore the building.
Formerly The Brunswick Hotel, the old structure provided these local entrepreneurs with some serious challenges. Initially, the state of the building itself was terrible, as was its reputation within the surrounding community. Just over a year before the project began, the area around the building was a rough one with a history of violence — and this was something the team was determined to change for Lancaster.
Today, The Hotel Lancaster’s surrounding space has successfully and significantly transformed.
The hotel continues to contribute to our town and remains communityfocused by pulling in visitors from near and far and helping support the local businesses and economy, due in huge part to the continued dedicated work of Lori Herr and John Thomas. Lori proudly reaches out to local vendors regularly for produce and food to offer guests each morning, giving them a priceless, authentic taste of Lancaster County.
The hotel’s new entrance and lobby area were designed to be inviting to locals as well, who are welcomed to stop in and get acquainted with the facility. This focus on local life as well as outof-town visitors is one that The Hotel Lancaster team highly values. The building’s history is incredibly rich, and standing in the lobby affords onlookers a beautiful glimpse into this past. The polished stone floor that surrounds the front desk, previously hidden under years of carpet and discovered during renovations, is the original hotel flooring from years ago.
Now that The Hotel Lancaster partners have officially taken ownership of the building, they have additional big plans for the future, including opening more rooms, unveiling a restaurant on the hotel’s corner, and adding an event facility for large gatherings or weddings.
The presence of The Hotel Lancaster is a critical component to making Lancaster City stronger and more vibrant. The addition of another well-run hotel facility downtown brings new capacity offerings to the city which allows additional booking for a greater variety of events. Essentially, depending on how much available hotel space a town has to offer, they are placed into different categories and are able to bring in different sized events. Being able to bring in larger events also means being able to bring in significantly more money. The added capacity allows for larger conventionbooking opportunities for the Lancaster County Convention Center as well, which means increased visitors, economic visibility, and economic opportunity for our town.
Today, The Hotel Lancaster team continues to work within this passion of connecting our thriving local community with tourists and friends. It is both exciting and comforting to have such passionately dedicated people working within our community, and representing our town to visitors. The achievements of the hotel’s management team and staff members have helped to paint an encouraging picture of downtown Lancaster’s future, and ensure that the community-focused dedication we have seen thus far is only the beginning.
AND IT DOESN’T STOP THERE
— Hotel Lancaster partners John Meeder and Sam Wilsker work at Meeder Development Corporation of Lancaster. They, too, work daily to reinvigorate the town by renovating historical local buildings. Some of Meeder’s best-known undertakings are Christian Street Court and Center City Lofts, a combined $7.8 million project located between Queen Street and the Lancaster County Courthouse, just off Penn Square in the heart of downtown. These two projects brought additional downtown spaces back to life; spaces which now thrive with their mix of modern and spacious lofts and beautiful views, as well as businesses such as Character’s Pub, and even Meeder Development Corporation’s offices.
Meeder also developed the Historic East Side Suites on the 100 block of East King Street; a project that reclaimed a blighted area and extended downtown by one block.
This project now offers 17 upscale apartment spaces, 7 store fronts, and 3,200 square feet of office space.
At Meeder Development Corporation, John and Sam’s endless restoration-based work is significantly improving our city one project at a time, and the community is noticing. Not long ago, John was selected as “Innovator of Lancaster.” True to this title, he is always looking ahead for the town. He’s an expert at knowing which plans to put into place today in order to help things for tomorrow and the long term.
Today, John, and Sam continue to work within this passion of creating things for our community that will generate future prosperity. They place heavy emphasis on the “bigger picture” for our town in all of their ventures. Their foreseeable future plans are now focused on the Annex area between Hotel Lancaster and the old movie theatre building. They want to create something in this annex/courtyard area that will draw in locals and tourists. Ideas discussed include an entertainment center featuring boutique bowling, bocci ball, an arcade, and a bistro/bar — all under one roof.
They are also working on plans which would create a large rooftop event venue, to potentially host 400-500 people for all types of gatherings.
“This City has tools to promote economic growth, and our authentic uniqueness can help our community sustain itself. More than ever we need to promote what we have and import attractions and commerce, sharing what we have with the broader market and community,” advised Meeder.
“We need to create new structures that meet the purposes called for today and that will be revered and respected 100 years from now,” he emphasized.
And, undoubtably, this is exactly what they will do.
LAN CAS TER & Innovating Trendsetting
SINCE 1729 HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR HISTORICAL MILESTONES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
1846
In 1846, the nation’s first commercial telegraph provided service between Lancaster and Harrisburg. The first telegraph message read, “Why don’t you write? You rascals.” No hashtags involved.
1728 & 1729
In 1728, residents of Chester County complained that “thieves, vagabonds, and ill people” had infested their westernmost areas and petitioned that a new county be created. Lancaster County was derived from Chester County shortly after that. The city was founded on May 10, 1729.
In 1763, Lancaster gunsmith William Henry built a steam engine for a model sternwheel boat that he tested on the Conestoga River. Despite its sinking, it was the first trial of a steamboat in the world. Steamboat pioneers Robert Fulton and John Finch often visited Henry’s home for ideas.
1861
19th
In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln addressed the residents of Lancaster from the balcony of Heister House, later known as the Brunswick Hotel, and known today as The Hotel Lancaster.
The nickname for cigars — “stogies” — originated in Lancaster as a descriptive word for the cigars smoked by wagon masters driving their Conestoga wagons.
1787 & 1853
3 4 5
Lancaster’s Franklin and Marshall College was founded as Franklin College in 1787 with the generous financial backing of Benjamin Franklin. Classes were provided in English and German to both men and women, making Franklin College the first bilingual and coeducational institution in the nation. In 1853, Marshall College moved to Lancaster, PA and merged with Franklin College to form Franklin and Marshall College. President James Buchanan served as its first Board of Trustees President.
Lancaster was the capital of Pennsylvania from 1799-1812. It was also the Nation’s capital for a day when Continental Congress met here in September of 1777 after their withdrawal from Philadelphia in an attempt to escape from British troops.
1900
In 1900, Frank W. Woolworth built Lancaster’s tallest building — a 5-story Victorian F.W. Woolworth store, complete with rooftop garden for dining and entertainment — where Marriott stands today. In 1913, he went on to purchase the site for and commission the construction of the world’s tallest building in New York City: the Woolworth Building. President Woodrow Wilson stood by at the White House to push the button which lit up the daring new tower. Many consider Woolworth’s Lancaster building to have been the “dress rehearsal” for this recordbreaking NYC icon.
Lancaster has been home to some rather important people. Timothy Matlack of Lancaster was the Clerk of the Continental Congress when it approved the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation. He was therefore given the honor of penning the Declaration of Independence for members to sign. Lancaster’s George Ross was among the signers, who later introduced his niece Betsy to George Washington. At Washington’s request, Betsy Ross went on to create our nation’s first flag.
1953
Those delicious Easter marshmallow peeps we have come to know nationally were first created and sold by Lancaster’s Rodda Candy Company. In those days, the marshmallow was arduously hand-squeezed through pastry tubes, so the first peeps produced were quite a labor of love.
Compass Mark: Direction for Life’s Journeys
As current CEO Carol Kuntz knows well, Compass Mark is making some incredible strides in the Lancaster community. The successful non-profit organization works tirelessly to prevent addictions of many forms and all of the difficulties that can go along with them: from domestic violence and abuse, to work productivity issues and criminal offenses.
The ripple effects a family can experience when dealing with addiction can be multifaceted and touch many different areas of their lives. It is Compass Mark’s goal to take individuals at any point on their life journey and provide the support and influence necessary to proactively prevent addiction and its side effects. This organization’s work often goes on behind the scenes, but it has been of critical importance to many of the children in our community.
Compass Mark created “Future Generations,” a program designed to focus specifically on children and help mold them into responsible, contributing adults.
Kids in the Future Generations program have the opportunity to shadow community leaders who can lead them to open doors, help them recognize positive opportunities, and challenge them to view the world differently. Compass Mark workers meet with the kids frequently to build up their confidence and get them ready to sit down with mentors for interviews.
When Future Generations kids interviewed Pedro Rivera, School District of Lancaster Superintendent at the time, he highlighted huge school dropout rates. The kids were especially touched by the statistics he presented. He indicated that chronic absenteeism is an early indication of a student who is likely to drop out. With this concerning new knowledge, the kids set out to find a solution. Their mindset was a simple and powerful one: Who says we can’t? Who says we can’t all make it to graduation?
They focused on this challenge at school, where they discussed the importance of attendance with their peers, created skits for parents to illustrate the same, and even designed a rewards program to encourage everyone to come to class — complete with a trophy for the classroom who had the best weekly attendance rate. That semester, the school’s unexcused absences dropped from 256 to just 18. The classroom transformed into a place where every student not only noticed but genuinely cared when even one of their classmates were absent. The students had successfully changed the entire atmosphere and attitude surrounding school attendance.
That semester, the school’s unexcused absences dropped from 256 to just 18.
The empowerment and possibility held within this concept is indescribable. Future Generations’ Intergenerational Mentoring creates mentor links throughout all stages of life. In one partnership, for example, Thaddeus Stevens College students mentor 10th graders, while those 10th graders mentor 8th graders, those 8th graders mentor 5th graders, and those 5th graders mentor 1st graders. The influence that they have on each other as peers far outweighs any outside influences, which adds to the power of the program.
Whether someone is at a great place in their life, or feeling lost and out of control, Compass Mark meets them and surrounds them with support to help them to reach their next positive mark. In creating this efficient environment for preventing addiction and its side effects, Compass Mark is improving Lancaster County as well.
Addiction treatment is costly, and our county typically runs out of its allotted treatment money within just months. Addicts without treatment often end up being incarcerated, which costs roughly $35,000 per year and is supported by our tax dollars.
This is more than 7 times what it costs to send someone through residential treatment and is 35 times the cost of what it takes to enroll a child in the Future Generations program.
Being proactive rather than reactive, and reaching children before they get to this point most importantly saves them and creates future community leaders, and it saves our community’s tax dollars as well.
Compass Mark’s new work additionally focuses on serving as advocates for children who have parents in prison. In Lancaster alone, some 3,500 children have parents in prison. This is equal to about seven or eight elementary schools full of students. Today, through a program funded with prison commissary proceeds, Lancaster County will be able to create a new Prison Advocate position. As people are brought in to serve their prison sentences, the advocate will find out quickly if they have children and where those kids are, and will get them into support groups and services to let them know right away that our community cares about them.
For a lot of these children, this demonstration of concern and support can make all the difference.
These incredible community ventures only scratch the surface of the work that Compass Mark is doing. They also focus on helping those with gambling addictions, which is often linked to substance abuse and many other difficult issues.
Compass Mark’s Chief Strategic Officer, David Bender emphasizes just how much the kids themselves make the success of their non-profit possible.
“It’s their energy and what they are doing for each other,” he explains.
“They support each other without fail, and hold each other accountable every day. It’s amazing to watch kids help each other in the face of any kind of trauma. They create an environment where no one ever feels isolated again — which is perfect, because you can’t fix someone by isolating them. You need to have a relationship and connectedness with them.
If you’re in the wilderness alone and you fall off a cliff, no one knows. But if you have someone beside you, they will know, and they will help you get back up.”
Day by day, Compass Mark is creating these environments for the youth, and our children are thriving in them. They are given a consistent, dependable compass as they journey through life, and are supported unwaveringly as they get to each new mark on it, time after time. Compass Mark is about transforming lives and strengthening communities. And little by little, with these powerful values, they are strengthening our community, both for today, and for future generations to come.
For more information on the Future Generations Program or Compass Mark, please visit www.compassmark.org
Making Lancaster Eventful
Want to throw the most spectacular party that Lancaster City has ever seen? You need to talk to Jen Baker. As Director of the City of Lancaster Office of Promotion, she holds the keys to getting all the happenings in town approved and planned, so that they can be executed flawlessly and remembered for years to come.
JEN BAKER
What are your favorite events to plan and why?
Celebrate Lancaster is one of my favorite events. It brings out such a diverse mix of all of the wonderful people of our city — usually about 17,000 people attend. We have 2 stages of music, 20 food vendors, 2 beer and wine areas, and fireworks. It’s fun to both plan and work this event, and to just be there watching people enjoy it.
How do you deal with the inevitable stresses of directing special events?
I don’t know if stress is the right word for us — we don’t really stress much at this point. Our events tend to run smoothly. When I first started this career, I learned that you have to be flexible when planning. You have to be able to roll with whatever comes your way. I used
to stress most about weather, and then I realized that because I couldn’t control the weather, I just had to make the best of whatever it brought us that day — rain or sunshine. Your adrenaline kicks in during events and you focus only on the main purpose, which is helping people to enjoy their city.
What is the strangest event request you have ever received?
We manage all of the public space in the city, so any public event has to go through our office, meaning we get plenty of requests. One that stood out to me was a request for a ‘Save the Dolphins’ rally. I thought it was an admirable cause, but it definitely had an odd connection to our city itself given our inland location.
What is it like working for the mayor?
Are you a fan of bow ties?
I love bow ties and the mayor’s support of what we do here at the City of Lancaster Office of Promotion. Up until very recently, our office used to be in City Hall just next to him. Mayor Gray is fantastic and a huge supporter of the events we do.
So where did your office relocate to and why?
We moved over to the Downtown Visitors Center to take over the operations here and help better utilize it to promote the city — not just to visitors but to locals as well. There’s so much great history here to spotlight, and we are undergoing a building transformation to better do that. The newly renovated space will have a lot of great aspects that you don’t usually see within a visitor’s center: touch screens, a living gallery area featuring famous Lancastrians, and some great exhibits on the 2nd floor. We can’t wait to see it at completion, and have the people of Lancaster see it and enjoy as well.
What do you most enjoy doing in your spare time?
Hanging out with my children for sure. They are 5 and 12, so they keep me busy between their schedules and sports activities. I like going to eat downtown and grabbing some drinks. In the Summer, I love going to the beach. My family has a place in Ocean City, NJ that we just love escaping to. I enjoy traveling in general and seeing different places with my fiancé. We recently visited Boston to explore his hometown and volunteer for the Boston Marathon.
When you head downtown for food, what are some restaurants you really enjoy?
I love The Horse Inn — I’m being a little partial here because my brother owns it, but it really is great. It’s the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Lancaster — it used to be a speakeasy at one point. They have great food and great cocktails. My kids like going to Isaac’s. Other fun places we go to are The Fridge (for good beer and good pizza), Characters (for burger night), and Quips.
Planning events can be stressful. What keeps you up at night?
The most random stuff — like forgetting to return an email. I’ll think of that and then that thought will transfer into a whole stream of consciousness about everything I have to get done. I’ll lay there thinking about how to write our latest job description, or whether or not I put my daughter’s library book in her backpack.
If you could plan a future event for Lancaster that hasn’t been done yet, what type of event would it be? Let’s say we didn’t have to do any permitting, funds were unlimited, and street closures wouldn’t be an issue — I’d love to do a city-wide food and beverage festival. But instead of a tent with vendors, as is done in other cities, it would be great to allow restaurants and bars to set up shop on the sidewalks and streets.
Another awesome event would be a miniature golf tournament on the roofs of buildings throughout the city. Each roof top would have one or two holes. At each hole, there would be food and beverages from local establishments. Local artists and designers would each design one of the holes, and the 19th hole would be a large wrap-up event at the end of the tournament with food, music, and trophies to award the winners.
Photo courtesy of: City of Lancaster Office of Promotion
Bill Hutson is quite possibly among the most interesting men in the world, and he happens to reside in Lancaster City. A world-renowned artist who is now legally blind, yet still painting, Bill has won countless awards for his artwork and efforts, paving the way for many African American artists around the world. He serves on the Lancaster Public Art Advisory Board, and originally came to our town in 1989 on a 1-year teaching appointment with Franklin & Marshall College, which quickly turned into tenure.
To this day, he continues to work with F&M, where he is currently heading up an archiving process. He wants to create a place where students can go to be educated with a more complete library profiling African American artists, through literature, videos, artifacts, and artwork.
This inspiring man has visited 22 countries, and can speak and understand several languages despite only having a high school diploma. The world has been his classroom, and it has been a great one.
Before his artistry passion fully found him, Bill served in the Air Force and took a drawing class at the University of New Mexico during his ‘down time.’ He can reminisce of time spent with Kenneth Noland, Alvin D. Loving Jr, and Melvin Ewards in NYC, or Edward Clark and Joan Mitchell when he lived in Paris, France; among many others, including having the opportunity to be in the company of Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Bill is a passionate advocate of the art of Abstraction, and of keeping this important style of painting alive. He is additionally passionate about promoting and supporting other artists he meets along his journey.
At 78 years old, Hutson is incredibly cultured, charming, and intriguing, and we were deeply moved by him in the short time we spent visiting. In those few hours, we gained enough stories and wisdom to author an entire book. The quotes we pulled from our visit, featured here, are intended to give you a small peek into his astounding brilliance.
BILL HUTSON
“I can see the cIty of Lancaster expandIng. there Is a great youthfuL audIence here who are bound to generate Lots If peopLe Let them. Lancaster can turn Into anythIng you want It to be.”
nfluential people, to us, are the ones who put passion into life. The ones who are inspired about living, communicating, and helping others everyday, without complaint or fatigue. These are the people who truly live, stand out, and lead. We thank these individuals for their examples and their contagious enthusiasm. We created this publication with you in mind, and would love to hear your thoughts. If you have feedback, future feature recommendations, or advertising inquiries, please reach out to us via email and/or visit our website at:
