HASGIVEN USRECOGNITION THATLASTS

PRESIDENT/CEO

Darwin Oordt doordt@harrisburgmagazine.com

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Darcy Oordt darcy@harrisburgmagazine.com

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING / SIMPLY THE BEST Chris Aloia caloia@harrisburgmagazine.com

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Jo Ann Shover jshover@harrisburgmagazine.com

MANAGING EDITOR Randy Gross rgross@harrisburgmagazine.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Christina Heintzelman cheintzelman@harrisburgmagazine.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Shane Carino scarino@harrisburgmagazine.com

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Richard Eppinger reppinger@harrisburgmagazine.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Chris Bauer

Jose Morales

Bill Roddey

CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS

Brad Maurer Georgia DuCharme

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Will Masters

Paul Vasiliades

SALES OFFICE

717.233.0109 4309 Linglestown Road, Suite 115 Harrisburg,

-Marion Woodman, Author

It’s the month for sweetness! For saying “sweet nothings” to one you’ve declared (or are about to declare) an undying love for … and also for enjoying sweet “somethings,” like the special custom cake (above) created by true-life Valentines Wendi and Jason Saposnek, owners of SweeTreats Bakery in Lemoyne. The Saposnek’s kindly regaled – and wowed – us with a delicious confection they baked especially for us, so we figured we’d share it with our readers. Well, at least a visual share … trust me, the cake didn’t last long at our office.

While we’re on the subject of food, this month get ready to go on a journey from sweet, to savory, to … sippable. Start with pancakes, French toast (and much more) when Christina Heintzelman visits a local hidden gem, the West Shore Diner, owned by members of the Katsifis family since the 1980s. Then, it’s off to an elegant sit-down dinner with PJ Folk, who is charged with creating sustainable, healthconscious, locally sourced cuisine at Harvest Seasonal Grill and Wine Bar. And, finally, we cap things off with a profile of bartender Bo Bonitz, who “knows” how to mix up creative – and very sippable – drinks at Gilligan’s Bar & Grill in Mechanicsburg.

It’s always sweet to give props to those in the greater-Harrisburg arts scene, which is exactly what Christina Heintzelman does in the final installment of her series profiling 2022’s “Simply the Art” winners. This month’s honorees: local singer Amy Simpson; local band The

Swisher Sweets; local musician Shea Quinn; theatre company Gamut Theatre Group; and local actor (and playwright) Paul Hood. You can also read about long-time (“since the age of three!”) local painter Sten in Christina’s Artful Inspirations

Transitioning from the sweet to the bittersweet … Christina (a very busy gal!) tours the Pennsylvania National Fire Museum – “one of the ten best fire museums in the nation” – which pays homage to heroes who have lived through moments ranging from life-affirming to tragic over the centuries.

Transitioning once more, from the bittersweet to just … bitter. Our Black History Month visit to Harrisburg’s National Civil War Museum highlights the search for truth and meaning inside a sixty-six thousand square foot archive that could add another sixty-six-thousand feet and still not be able to cover the vast scope of the never-healed wounds inflicted by the bloodiest conflict in American history.

From bittersweet to … poignant. That word definitely applies to this month’s short story, “The Songbird of Jackson Street,” superbly crafted by Philadelphia native Chris Bauer. Our other literary offering, from current Harrisburg poet Jose Morales, is a painfully “heart”-felt piece titled “testing the endurance of the HEAVENS.” On the humorous side, Brad Maurer’s The Cercus takes a bug’s eye view of Valentine’s Day relationships; and satirist Bill Roddey, who, among other achievements, was once a joke writer for the syndicated Frank & Ernest comic strip, continues to jab and poke at modern conventions with more Off the Cuff one-liners.

I get ticked off when someone says “I will say…” Why do they have to announce that if they’re already saying something? My advice is “No you won’t.” Then walk away.

You know it’s gonna be a bad day when your dog doesn’t greet you wildly at the door anymore, you smile but your reflection in the mirror doesn’t smile back, and your forever stamps have expired.

NUDE PICKLEBALL IS TAKING OFF…clothes. FYI, I’m a clothed nudist.

To cut costs at Twitter Elon Musk has ordered his staff to bring their own toiletpaper. And that’s no s**t!

Don’t forget our columns! In Cinematic Ramblings, film & TV historian Kevyn Knox selects his 10 Favorite Films of 2022; Jacquelyn Duplessis (filling in for Andrea Reed) tells how to “Love Your Heart” in Nourishing Bites; Alex Brubaker’s By the Book previews a new release – and Harrisburg book-signing – by award-winning author Matthew Desmond (“Poverty, By America”); Bryson Roof answers the question “Should I Add Children to the Deed of my House?” in The Finance Hound; Barbara Trainin Blank previews some live shows you’ll surely love in February in Theatre Thoughts; HACC’s Robert Stakem discusses the importance of CPR training in Tailboard Talk; and Kristen Zellner’s For the Love of Pets highlights African Americans who played a historical role in aiding the animal welfare community.

On an additional bittersweet note: the staff of Harrisburg Magazine has had so many sweet moments with graphic artist extraordinaire, Laura Reich, that we truly can’t sum up in words how much we will miss her smiling face and “do it all” attitude. Yes, after five+ years of expertly laying out our pages, we bid a fond farewell to Laura, and wish her tremendous success in her new endeavor. All of which means, this month we also say a happy “hello” to new graphic artist Shane Carino, a Navy veteran with amazing talents of her own!

Be extra sweet to one another this month!

RG